The Sopranos

Vincent Pastore's death blindsided the people who knew him ... with his 'Sopranos' costar Joe Gannascoli telling TMZ there was no indication the actor was sick or battling any health issues.

Joe -- who played Vito Spatafore on the iconic HBO series -- says Vincent's passing "sort of came out of nowhere," especially after seeing video of him celebrating his 80th birthday just weeks before he was pronounced dead in his NYC home.

While Joe and Vincent never filmed a "Sopranos" episode together, they later worked alongside each other on "FoodFellas" and Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares"... and Joe is remembering Vincent as a man who was well-liked by fans, friends and everyone who knew him.

"Sopranos" actor Vincent Pastore was treated by first responders before he was pronounced dead at his New York City home ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... on Saturday at 2:20 PM ET, Vincent's female neighbor found the 80-year-old actor face up in bed at his residence in The Bronx.

Our sources say the neighbor called 911, prompting police and Emergency Service Unit workers to quickly respond. We're told one paramedic went to work on Vincent to try to save him, but no amount of treatment could bring him back.

Vincent Pastore's loved ones are preparing to say their final goodbyes ... with a funeral service planned for later this week in New Rochelle, New York -- exactly where the late actor wanted it, TMZ has learned.

Stephen Villano, Pastore's longtime friend and self-described "right-hand man," tells TMZ the family is planning a service in the coming days to celebrate the beloved "Sopranos" star's life.

While fans will always remember Pastore for his unforgettable portrayal of Salvatore "Big P****" Bonpensiero, Villano says one of the actor's greatest passions came later in life ... teaching aspiring performers at HB Studios.

According to Villano, Pastore loved mentoring the next generation of actors and often reminded his students that making it in Hollywood wasn't impossible.

Vincent Pastore was surrounded by love just weeks before his death, celebrating his 80th birthday with a custom cake and a smile, a moment his longtime friend says perfectly captured the man behind the famous mobster roles.

In video, obtained by TMZ, the late actor is seen enjoying the milestone ... even jokingly making his buddy re-do the celebratory jingle, before he blows out the candle and bursts into laughter.

As we previously reported, Pastore -- best known for playing Salvatore "Big P****" Bonpensiero on "The Sopranos" -- was found dead Saturday at his Bronx home. His close friend Stephen Villano, who described himself as Pastore’s "right-hand man," said the actor’s passing came as a complete shock.

3:54 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Vincent passed away from natural causes.

We're also told a neighbor last saw Vincent on Wednesday and last texted with him on Thursday before he was found in bed on Saturday.

Vincent Pastore -- a veteran actor best known for playing Salvatore “Big P****” Bonpensiero in "The Sopranos" has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The actor was found dead in his Bronx residence by his longtime friend, Stephen Villano, on Saturday afternoon after he hadn't been heard from in several days. His cause of death is currently unknown by his family.

The Fire Department of New York received a call about an unresponsive male around 2:30 PM local time Saturday. Pastore was dead when they arrived.

Christina Applegate is currently hospitalized in Los Angeles ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... she was admitted in late March, though the exact reason for her stay remains unclear.

The actress has battled multiple sclerosis since first being diagnosed in June 2021, but it's unclear if her hospitalization is related to the disease.

This follows a March 31 announcement from Applegate's MeSsy podcast co-host, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, that the show would go on a brief hiatus while both hosts were on book tours. Sigler has lived with relapsing MS for more than 20 years.

Actor Jerry Adler — best known for his roles in "The Sopranos," "The Good Wife" and "Rescue Me" — has died, TMZ has confirmed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jerry passed away Friday night in NYC ... his cause of death was not released, although it could have been old age.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Jerry got a late start in his TV and movie career, launching it in his 60s, even though his cousin was Stella Adler, the iconic acting teacher.

Charley Scalies -- a character actor who played tough-talking characters on two of the greatest shows ever -- has died ... according to reports.

The Hollywood Reporter says they spoke with Charley's daughter, Anne Marie Scalies ... who revealed her father passed away Thursday at a nursing facility in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

Scalies began his acting career by grabbing a few bit parts in the mid-1990s ... appearing in the Al Pacino-led "Two Bits" and the sci-fi classic "12 Monkeys" starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt.

7/21 5:47 PM PT -- de Matteo's responding to haters who are calling her son editing her OF content creepy ... posting a pic to her Instagram story with the pic in question, saying it doesn't show anything inappropriate for a 13-year-old.

She adds people need to focus on bigger issues -- like what's going on with America's politics -- instead of her personal parenting choices. Basically, Drea's telling everyone to move right along ... 'cause there's nothing to see here!

When it comes to business, Drea de Matteo's motto is ... you gotta keep it in the family.

The "Sopranos" star revealed on the "Not Today, Pal" podcast her 13-year-old son, Waylon "Blackjack," edits her OnlyFans photos.

Hosts Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler were discussing de Matteo's girl-on-girl content when she mentioned her son, and 16-year-old daughter, Alabama, were waiting outside for her.

'Sopranos' star Drea de Matteo says OnlyFans empowers her to take care of her family financially ... and now she's feeling like a mob boss.

Drea's among the celebs stripping it off on sites like OnlyFans and making an absolute fortune in doing so ... and TMZ is examining the growing trend in Hollywood of getting naked on the internet.

When her bank account dwindled down to only a few hundred bucks, Drea says she bit the bullet and joined the OnlyFans trend ... because she didn't have a choice.

Drea de Matteo's not backing down when her son, Waylon, calls her out for her OnlyFans career ... revealing how her winning argument puts him in his place in an instant.

The "Sopranos" star calls her 12-year-old a "greedy little bastard" on the latest episode of "The Sage Steele Show" ... and she reminds him of all the luxuries he's enjoying when he brings up her ass-showing ways on the platform.

Drea recalls asking him once, "Do you like that jacket you just asked me to buy you? You like all the things that you want that make you happy? You like that new PC that you begged for for Christmas? Because you wouldn't have that s*** if Mommy didn't show her ass!"

The mob wife trend is all about in-your-face fashion, so you already know the celebs ain't holding back on this one! Inspired by iconic films and shows like "Goodfellas" and "Sopranos", mob wife fashion is bringin' sexy back with animal prints, fuzzy coats and all the boots n' heels!

Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and Heidi Klum dove into the exotic/animal print aesthetic, while Dua Lipa joined this fashion resurgence in a black-lace ensemble, topped with a lavish furry black coat.

The parlor booth where Tony Soprano sat down with his family in the final scene from "The Sopranos" just sold at auction ... and someone shelled out five figures.

Tony's booth was a tourist attraction for years at Holsten's ice cream parlor in Broomfield, NJ ... but the shop needs a renovation and the parlor booth had to go ... to the highest bidder.

Holsten's put the famous furniture -- booth, table, divider and a custom plaque reserving seats for the Sopranos family -- on eBay last week with a $3,000 opening bid ... and an all-out bidding war ensued.

When the dust settled Monday, the auction closed and the booth had sold for $82,600 ... more than enough to cover costs for Holsten's upcoming renovations for new floors and booths.

Not included for the $82K ... the jukebox Tony drops a quarter in to play Journey's classic tune "Don't Stop Believin'" as he orders onion rings and waits for his wife, son and daughter to join him in the booth.

The jukebox was added by the film crew ... and after the show, Holsten included a plaque reading, "THIS BOOTH RESERVED FOR THE SOPRANO FAMILY."

Since the finale and it's open-ended cut to black, Holsten's has been a destination for 'Sopranos' fans making the pilgrimage to Tony's last known location ... but wear and tear over the years forced the ice cream parlor to sell off the piece of TV history.

As Holsten's explained ... "Please understand that we don't want to do this. But the integrity of the booths are now compromised. They have been repaired many times and this furniture is over 60 years old. Obviously, we do not want to do this, however it has come to a point where they are structurally not safe anymore as a whole and we need to think about the safety of our patrons first."

The ice cream parlor says it's getting a much-needed facelift, but things will look the same as they did when the Sopranos came through.

Drea de Matteo dice que cuando su familia atravesó tiempos difíciles, fueron salvados por el más improbable de los héroes... Los suscriptores de OnlyFans.

La actriz de "Los Soprano" le concedió una entrevista a DailyMail donde reveló que puso en marcha la cuenta en línea de nuevo en agosto, porque su casa iba en ejecución hipotecaria, y ella dijo que solo tenía alrededor de $10 en el banco.

Mientras que esto genera opiniones divididas, Drea le da crédito al sitio, y dijo que no se siente mal, ya que hizo lo que cualquier buena madre haría, sacrificar el orgullo personal por sus hijos.

Drea admitió que no tenía dinero en aquella época, diciendo que tan solo apareció en 48 episodios de "Los Soprano" y eso fue hace bastante -a participado en otros proyectos desde luego-, pero los cheques de pago se terminan.

Sin embargo, dijo que consiguió suficiente dinero para salvar su casa de la ejecución hipotecaria a los cinco minutos de comenzar su OnlyFans, por el que cobra $15 al mes. Sinceramente, es increíble.

Drea dijo que le pidió a sus hijas su bendición antes de crear la cuenta y le dijeron que estaban totalmente de acuerdo.

En cuanto a su trabajo como actriz, Drea ha mantenido que hablar en contra de la vacuna COVID-19 y negarse a recibir la vacuna ha limitado sus oportunidades en Hollywood, lo que hizo que OnlyFans fue algo aún más urgente.

Además, pudo obtener el dinero que necesitaba para iniciar su nueva marca de ropa (Ultrafree), una nueva empresa de la que habló con nosotros a principios de este mes en "TMZ Live".

Drea de Matteo says when her family hit hard times, they were saved by the most unlikely of heroes ... OnlyFans subscribers who helped pay their bills.

The 'Sopranos' actress sat down for an interview with DailyMail where she revealed she launched the online account back in August because her house was going into foreclosure, and she said she only had about $10 in the bank.

While it might be seen as polarizing for some, DDM credited the subscribers-based site with saving her family ... and she said she's comfortable with anyone judging her because she did what any good mother would do -- sacrifice personal pride for her children.

Drea admitted she wasn't exactly flush with cash at the time ... saying most of her acting career was spent working from paycheck to paycheck despite appearing in 48 episodes of "The Sopranos" ... plus other projects, of course.

But, she says she had enough money to save her home from foreclosure within five minutes of starting her OnlyFans -- for which she charges $15 a month. Honestly, that's incredible.

She's all good on the family front though ... 'cause Drea said she asked her daughters for their blessing before firing up the OF account -- and they said it was totally OK.

As for acting work ... Drea's maintained that speaking out against the COVID-19 vaccine and refusing to get the jab has limited career opportunities in Hollywood, which made starting OnlyFans that much more essential.

But, OF seems to be funding more of Drea's dream ... 'cause she said it gave her the money she needed to start her new clothing brand, Ultrafree -- a new venture she talked about with us earlier this month on "TMZ Live."