The late actor's widow says her husband 'was very proud to be from New Jersey,' in the ceremony which is also attended by Aida Turturro, Tony Sirico and Vincent Pastor.
- Nov 14, 2014
AceShowbiz - James Gandolfini is now a member of New Jersey Hall of Fame. The late actor was inducted in a ceremony which took place on Thursday, November 13 in Asbury Park. "The Sopranos" cast members such as Vincent Curatola, Tony Sirico, Vincent Pastore and Aida Turturro were present at the event alongside Gandolfini's widow Deborah Lin.
"Hey, J stands for Jersey and for Jimmy," Pastore said, as quoted by The Associated Press. "Jimmy should be remembered for his work, for his love of his family and for his compulsion to let people know how great New Jersey is. It was beyond perfect that he played a mob boss from New Jersey."
Gandolfini's wife also recalled how her husband loved New Jersey. "He was very proud to be from New Jersey. His happiest moments were always in New Jersey," she shared. Bruce Springsteen, who was the surprise guest at the event, said, "God bless Jimmy."
The New Jersey Hall of Fame honored New Jersey people who "made invaluable contributions to society and the world, helping to inspire state pride in the young people of New Jersey through powerful local role models." Other honorees at the Thursday event included human's right activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, chef Alice Waters, author Dorothy Parker, basketball great Patrick Ewing, The Shirelles, former Gov. Jim Florio, NFL executive Howard Katz, labor leader Peter McGuire, Holocaust survivor and educator Maud Dahme and "NBC Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams.
