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Broadway to dim marquee lights for Gandolfini

Actor James Gandolfini and his wife Deborah Lin arrive for the world premiere of 'Violet & Daisy' at the Elgin Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada on September 15, 2011. UPI/Christine Chew
Actor James Gandolfini and his wife Deborah Lin arrive for the world premiere of 'Violet & Daisy' at the Elgin Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada on September 15, 2011. UPI/Christine Chew | License Photo

NEW YORK, June 25 (UPI) -- The Broadway community says it will mark the sudden loss of celebrated actor James Gandolfini by dimming theater marquee lights Wednesday.

Gandolfini died of a heart attack last week while on vacation in Italy with his family. He was 51.

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The marquees of Broadway theaters will be dimmed in his memory at exactly 8 p.m. for one minute.

"James Gandolfini was a consummate actor who brought individuality to each role and inspired a true connection with the audience. Whether on screen or on a Broadway stage, he made every role believable and seemingly effortless," Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, said in a statement Tuesday. "Our thoughts go out to his family and friends, and certainly to all of his fans who felt as if they knew his characters."

Although well-known for playing a New Jersey mob boss on the Emmy Award-winning HBO series "The Sopranos," which premiered in 1999 and ran for six seasons, Gandolfini also had a long and diverse list of credits as a stage and film actor, including many character and supporting roles.

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He earned a 2009 Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his role in Broadway's "God of Carnage." He also appeared in New York stage productions of "On the Waterfront" in 1995 and "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1992.

He is survived by his wife Deborah Lin; their daughter, Liliana; and a son, Michael, from his first marriage.

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