An autopsy has confirmed that the late actor James Gandolfini passed away earlier this week after suffering a heart attack. A close friend Gandolfini's, Michael Kobold, announced the news to reporters, saying: "There’s nothing out of the ordinary. It was a heart attack. It was a natural cause...there was no foul play, no substance abuse. None of that."
Kobold added that Gandolfini had arrived in Rome this past Tuesday to spend time with his 13-year-old son, Michael, before he was supposed to head to Sicily this weekend for the Taormina Film Festival. Gandolfini suffered a heart attack in his hotel room the next day.
Now that the autopsy has been performed, the Associated Press reports that Gandolfini's family is working with the Italian government to get the body back to the U.S. quickly so a funeral can be held. According to Kobold, the family is hoping to speed-up the normally 10 day process, with a funeral planned for as soon as Saturday in NYC. The U.S. Embassy in Rome is reportedly assisting with the process.
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[via ABC News]
