James Gandolfini, who gained fame playing a memorable mafia boss on HBO's "The Sopranos," died after suffering a possible heart attack in Italy on Wednesday, June 19. Pictured, Gandolfini at the premier of "Zero Dark Thirty" in 2012. 
Gandolfini and Jane Fonda attend an after-party for the HBO series "Newsroom" in Hollywood on June 20, 2012. 
Gandolfini attends the Keep Memory Alive Foundation's Power of Love Gala celebrating Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday in 2012 in Las Vegas. 
Gandolfini watches the New York Jets play the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 24, 2011, in East Rutherford. New Jersey. 
Gandolfini with his wife, Deborah Lin, at the premiere of HBO Films' "Cinema Verite" at Paramount Pictures Studio in Los Angeles in 2011. 
Gandolfini arrives for the world premiere of "Violet & Daisy" at the Elgin Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on September 15, 2011. 
Gandolfini arrives at the 2011 BAFTA Brits To Watch Event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles. 
Gandolfini visits with service members and civilians on Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2010, during a USO tour. 
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. 
Falco and Gandolfini present the award for outstanding miniseries at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006. 
Gandolfini attends the sixth season premiere of "The Sopranos" in New York in 2006. 
Gandolfini speaks at the 9th Annual Critics' Choice Awards gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2004. 
Gandolfini poses backstage during the 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2003 in Los Angeles. 
The cast of "The Sopranos," from left, Tony Sirico, Steve Van Zandt, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore. 
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. 
Gandolfini accepts the Television Drama Award at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2000. 
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- James Gandolfini was dead when he arrived by ambulance at a Rome hospital
- His managers believe he had a heart attack
- The U.S. Embassy to issue a death certificate
- Medical examiners must conduct an autopsy 24 hours after the body's arrival in the morgue
(CNN) -- The body of actor James Gandolfini was transferred to a hospital morgue in Rome early Thursday, where it awaits an autopsy.
By law, medical examiners in Italy are required to carry out the postmortem 24 hours after the body's arrival in the morgue, a hospital spokesman said.
Before Italian authorities can release his remains for transport back to the United States, the U.S. Embassy in Rome must issue a death certificate.
HBO's success built on "Sopranos" 
Gupta: 51 is young for a heart attack 
Larry King: 'Sopranos' made him a star 
O'Rourke: Gandolfini was a loyal actor Gandolfini was not alive when he arrived by ambulance at the Policlinico hospital late Wednesday, said spokesman Antonio Spasola.
Though the cause of death is not yet known, his managers believe that a heart attack killed the man who portrayed Tony Soprano, a washed-up mob boss suffering from panic attacks.
He was 51.
"This is young to have a heart attack, even when you look at any pre-existing health conditions," said CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta. Usually, first heart attacks don't strike until the victim is over 60.
But risk factors such as obesity, smoking, lack of exercise and stress can cause them to occur earlier in life, Gupta said.
Tributes poured in from colleagues, friends and fans on social media.
Even after Sopranos fame, he was very down to earth, said iReporter Pat Tantalo, who worked on the set of a 2006 movie Gandolfini starred in.
They exchanged telephone numbers and spent some of their evenings sitting around together on a deck by a lake smoking cigars.
"It was like we had been friends forever," Tantalo said.
Gandolfini was well-respected by his peers.
"He was a genius," said David Chase, creator of "The Sopranos." "Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time."
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.
CNN's Hada Messia and Livia Borghese contributed to this report
