Long time pal TV host DICK CAVETT reveals SOPRANOS star JAMES GANDOLFINI’s secret terror.
More than a year after Gandolfini succumbed to a sudden heart attack, his longtime friend, former talk show host Dick Cavett, is still grieving his sudden death— and remembering his remarkable life.
In his new book Brief Encounters, Cavett,77-year-old icon recalls speaking with his pal, who died at just 51 while vacationing in Italy, in the actor’s dressing room on Broadway during his 2009 stint in play God of Carnage.
Though Gandolfini earned kudos for his role in the dark comedy, Cavett recalls that he faced crippling insecurities.
“He described an attack of terrible anxiety that overtook him as beginning work on the play approached, with deep fears over— of all things— ability to learn and retain his lines,” Cavett writes.
The star’s mental state was so dire, Cavett claims, he felt it necessary to seek medical attention.
“He said he’d actually entered a hospital for a few days of anxiety treatment,” Cavett says.
