James Gandolfini Body Returning To US; Funeral May Be In New York City

Family of James Gandolfini, who died Wednesday of cardiac arrest, said the body of late actor will be coming back to the U.S. Monday. Gandolfini died in Italy while he was vactioning there in order to attend Taormina Film Festival in Sicily. He was 51. An autoposy conducted Friday confirmed the cause of the former "Sopranos" star's death.

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It typically takes one week for a body to be released following an autopsy, a subject spokesman Michael Kobold touched on in a statement regarding the actor's death, autopsy and funeral. The statement read as follows:

On behalf of the Gandolfini family, I would like to thank the Italian authorities for all the assistance they have rendered in expediting the formalities necessary to repatriate James Gandolfini's remains to the United States. We are fully aware that this process usually takes 7 days and we are extremely grateful for their efficiency in dealing with this matter. It has been our privilege to be guests in your beautiful country, despite the difficult circumstances. We sincerely thank you.

Gandolfini was born in Westwood, NJ and spent most of his life between New Jersey and New York. His claim to fame was the lead in HBO's hit show "The Sopranos" as Tony Soprano. The show is still hailed as one of the best-written of all time, among other accolades. He also started in a hanful of movies, his most recent being a role in Oscar-winning "Zero Dark Thirty." It is believed that his funeral will take place Thursday in New York City at the Cathedral of St. John the Devine, Gothamist reported.

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