James Gandolfini will be laid to rest in a place appropriate for his age and influence– a relatively young man (51) whom everyone loved. Services have been set for Thursday morning at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, the world’s largest cathedral and third largest church. St. John the Divine has been host to Christmas concerts by the likes of Sting and Judy Collins, as well as indoor aerial stunts by favorite parishioner Philip Petit. It’s an Episcopal church but extremely liberal and open to people of all denominations.
Jazz great Duke Ellington and writer James Baldwin are among the celebrities who’ve had their funerals at St John. The cathedral is big enough to hold what will likely be a huge, huge crowd of family, close friends, business associates, and fans of “The Sopranos” star. Capacity is 6,000 but can range up to 10,000. Expect everyone from “The Sopranos” with the possible exception of Steve van Zandt, who’s on tour in Europe with the Bruce Springsteen band. Lorraine Bracco will likely come in from Los Angeles, where she’s filming “Rizzoli and Isles.”
Another strong possibility might be Julia Roberts, who co-starred with Gandolfini in “The Mexican.” John Travolta, who already announced on TV that he “would be there” for the Gandolfini family– whether they like it or not — will undoubtedly turn up.
