Story highlights Edie Falco, who played Tony Soprano's wife, is "shocked and devastated"

James Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for his role as Tony Soprano

He was scheduled to appear at the Taormino Film Fest in Sicily

He is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son

James Gandolfini, best known for his role as an anxiety-ridden mob boss on HBO's "The Sopranos," died Wednesday while on vacation in Italy. He was 51.

His body is in a hospital morgue in Rome. Once the U.S. Embassy issues a death certificate, Gandolfini's remains can be returned to the United States.

"It is with immense sorrow that we report our client, James Gandolfini, passed away today while on holiday in Rome, Italy," managers Mark Armstrong and Nancy Sanders said in a joint statement. "Our hearts are shattered and we will miss him deeply. He and his family were part of our family for many years and we are all grieving."

The actor had been scheduled to make an appearance at the Taormina Film Fest in Sicily this week.

Gandolfini won three Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Tony Soprano, the angst-wracked mob boss who visited a therapist and took Prozac while knocking off people. "The Sopranos" aired from 1999 to 2007.

Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – James Gandolfini, who gained fame playing a memorable mafia boss on HBO's "The Sopranos," died after suffering a heart attack in Italy on Wednesday, June 19. Pictured, Gandolfini at the premiere of "Zero Dark Thirty" in 2012. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini and Jane Fonda attend an after-party for the HBO series "Newsroom" in Hollywood on June 20, 2012. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini attends the Keep Memory Alive Foundation's Power of Love Gala celebrating Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday in 2012 in Las Vegas. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini watches the New York Jets play the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 24, 2011, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini with his wife, Deborah Lin, at the premiere of HBO Films' "Cinema Verite" at Paramount Pictures Studio in Los Angeles in 2011. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini arrives for the world premiere of "Violet & Daisy" at the Elgin Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2011. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini arrives at the 2011 BAFTA Brits To Watch Event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini visits with service members and civilians on Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2010, during a USO tour. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis during the curtain call of the opening of the Broadway play "God of Carnage" on March 22, 2009, at the Broadway Theatre in New York. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Edie Falco and Gandolfini present the award for outstanding miniseries at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini attends the sixth season premiere of "The Sopranos" in New York in 2006. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini speaks at the 9th Annual Critics' Choice Awards gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2004. Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini poses backstage during the 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2003 in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – The cast of "The Sopranos," from left, Tony Sirico, Steve Van Zandt, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini with Edie Falco, left, and Lorraine Bracco at the DVD launch party for "The Sopranos: The Complete Fifth Season" in 2005 in New York. Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: Photos: 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini – Gandolfini accepts the Television Drama Award at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2000. Hide Caption 16 of 16

JUST WATCHED Larry King: 'Sopranos' made him a star Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Larry King: 'Sopranos' made him a star 02:42

JUST WATCHED Gupta: 51 is young for a heart attack Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Gupta: 51 is young for a heart attack 01:31

JUST WATCHED 2000: 'Sopranos' success surprised me Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 2000: 'Sopranos' success surprised me 01:48

Edie Falco, the actress who played Tony's wife Carmela, said she was "shocked and devastated" by the news.

"He was a man of tremendous depth and sensitivity, with a kindness and generosity beyond words. I consider myself very lucky to have spent 10 years as his close colleague. My heart goes out to his family," Falco said in a statement Thursday. "The love between Tony and Carmela was one of the greatest I've ever known."

"Jimmy was the spiritual core of our Sopranos family, and I am stunned at this devastating loss," said Chris Albrecht, the former president of HBO who gave the green light to the show. "He was a great talent, but an even better man. My thoughts are with his family."

HBO is owned by TimeWarner, which is also CNN's parent company.

Actor Steve Van Zandt, who played Tony Soprano's confidant Silvio Dante, felt equally close to Gandolfini in real life. "I have lost a brother and a best friend," he posted on Twitter. "The world has lost one of the greatest actors of all time."

Gandolfini was born September 18, 1961, in Westwood, New Jersey, according to Biography.com

He graduated from Rutgers University and, as the story goes, worked as a bartender and a bouncer in New York City until he went with a friend to an acting class.

He got his start on Broadway, with a role in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with Jessica Lange and Alec Baldwin.

Gandolfini's big screen debut came in the role of a heavy in the bloody "True Romance" in 1993.

His breakthrough on the small screen came in 1999 with the role of Tony Soprano.

"He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that," David Chase, who developed "The Sopranos," said in a statement. "...A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes."

Gandolfini, who was notoriously press shy, had a reputation in the tabloids for being sometimes difficult.

"He wasn't easy sometimes. But he was my partner, he was my brother in ways I can't explain and never will be able to explain," Chase said.

JUST WATCHED Friends react to Gandolfini's death Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Friends react to Gandolfini's death 02:50

JUST WATCHED 2007: James Gandolfini on the red carpet Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 2007: James Gandolfini on the red carpet 00:46

While Gandolfini was known for sometimes ruthless, often imposing characters, those who worked with him described an actor who put his heart into a role.

"He was just so good at the emotion. A very passionate man and a very, very tender man," Matthew Warchus, who directed Gandolfini in the 2009 Broadway play "God of Carnage," told CNN. "I really loved him and admired him a great deal."

Larry King, who saw Gandolfini in Las Vegas just weeks ago, told CNN the actor was "jovial and seemed happy."

"He stamped himself in 'The Sopranos' so much, people have overlooked his many diversified roles he's performed," King said. "He was a very diverse character actor, who became a star."

IReporter Shana O'Neil worked in an office, where Gandolfini was shooting in 1994. She remembers him as "Jersey through and through" with a great smile. "I just always think of him as that guy."

His Sopranos fame, she said, changed nothing about the way she remembers him.

Gandolfini's acting credits included roles in "The Last Castle" with Robert Redford, "The Mexican" with Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, and "Surviving Christmas" with Ben Affleck.

In recent years, he had starred in several movies, including the Oscar-nominated "Zero Dark Thirty," "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" and "Killing Them Softly."

Gandolfini was also known to children, voicing Carol, a wild thing, in the 2009 movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic "Where the Wild Things Are."

He took to the stage to do a reading of Sendak's "In The Night Kitchen" to mark the author's 80th birthday.

News of the actor's death spread quickly, drawing shock and sadness from those who had worked with him.

"James Gandolfini was a kind, funny, wonderful guy. I'm so lucky to have worked with him. Sending love to his family. Such a sad, sad day," Olivia Wilde, who starred with the actor in "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone," said in a post on Twitter.

Actor Steve Carell of "Office" fame, who also appeared in "Wonderstone", simply said on Twitter: "James Gandolfini. What a great loss."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie described himself as a "huge fan" of Gandolfini.

"It's an awful shock. James Gandolfini was a fine actor, a Rutgers alum and a true Jersey guy," he said.

If his managers are right, and he died of a heart attack, it struck much too early, said CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

"(The) average age of someone having a first heart attack -- if this is in fact what we're talking about -- is usually in the mid-60s," he said.

Risk factors such as smoking, lack of exercise, obesity and high cholesterol can lower the age range significantly, according to Gupta.

Gandolfini is survived by his wife, Deborah, and their 9-month-old daughter, Liliana. He is also survived by a son, Michael, from another marriage.