James Gandolfini's tearful fans and pals gather to bid final farewell

James Gandolfini's 'The Sopranos' co-stars and thousands of mourning admirers gathered in New York to pay their final tribute to the late actor.

Gandolfini, who died at the age of 51 of a fatal heart attack, captivated the audience for eight years in the role of a clinically depressed mob boss Tony Soprano, the Mirror reported.

Many Hollywood stars joined his son Michael, who found him dying in a hotel room, to say their final goodbye to the legendary actor and many cried openly as they arrived at the memorial service.

An emotional Deborah, Gandolfini's wife, paid homage to him during the funeral, held at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan.

She asserted that her husband was an honest, kind and loving man, who cared more about others than himself.

Deborah said that he took the time to ask others in the course of the day how they were doing.

The actor's family had wanted the service to be open to the public and his fans stood in scorching heat for three hours before more than 2,000 people packed into the church.

Other celebs like Alec Baldwin, mum-to-be Jamie Lynn Sigler, who played Tony Soprano's daughter Meadow on the show, and Steve Buscemi also attended the event.

The star's reel wife Edith 'Edie' Falco and his close mate David Chase, the creator of the hit series, were also present at the two-hour service.