PHOTO Restaurant from iconic last scene of Sopranos pays tribute to James Gandolfini

Holsten's-Brookdale-Confectionery-Tony-Soprano-tribute

After hearing of the tragic passing of James Gandolfini, I got into a conversation with a friend about the historical impact of his association to the indelible role of Tony Soprano. We concluded that while there may be some on par, no actor has ever been more closely tied to such an iconic TV character as Gandolfini was to Tony Soprano.

While Twitter exploded with condolences and shock at the news, perhaps the most affecting tribute that has surfaced since the 51-year-old’s sudden death is a photo posted by Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery. If you’re unfamiliar with the show then you need to get yourself familiar – but I’ll also warn you this all about spoilers…

The Sopranos is one of the most groundbreaking and critically acclaimed shows ever. It’s widely considered as on the finest 4-5 shows in TV history and the legend of the HBO drama was sealed during the unforgettable open-ended last scene. Viewers were left in the wake of the arch of Tony’s life as his family gathered at a restaurant. Tony arrives first and has the option of a song to play at the table. As he turns through the song choices we see Tony Bennett’s “I’ve Gotta Be Me” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”.  In typically unpredictable fashion, the head of the family chooses the latter.

We were all left to wonder if a hit was going down and if what we were witnessing was the last meal of one of the most fascinating and complex characters to ever grace the small screen.

The restaurant used in the filming posted the above photo in which they had reserved the table where Gandolfini supplied his most defining scene.

“Perfect” is a word that is too often used but in this case it’s completely applicable. This simple gesture was the perfect tribute to an actor who left behind a role that will never be forgotten.



click tracking