NEW YORK (AP) — James Gandolfini would have hated all this fuss.

NEW YORK (AP) — Some memorable lines spoken by the late James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in "The Sopranos":

James Gandolfini, who won three Emmy Awards for his indelible role as mob boss Tony Soprano in HBO's "The Sopranos," died while on vacation in Italy at age 51. While Tony Soprano was a larger-than-life figure, Gandolfini was exceptionally modest and obsessive — he described himself as "a 260-pound Woody Allen." HBO called the actor a "special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone, no matter their title or position, with equal respect."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Woody Harrelson is putting his paper where his passions are.

The death in Italy of James Gandolfini, who played Mafia boss Tony Soprano on the popular HBO show "The Sopranos," was part of an unusual convergence of mob-related news making headlines this week. Here's a look:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seems Warner Bros. has taken movie marketing to a whole new level — even higher than a bird or a plane.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Celebrity cook Paula Deen said while being questioned in a discrimination lawsuit that she has used racial slurs in the past but insisted she and her family do not tolerate prejudice.

NEW YORK (AP) — Faith Prince will soon be getting in touch with her mean side — she's about to play Miss Hannigan in the "Annie" revival on Broadway.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Gandolfini's lumbering, brutish mob boss with the tortured psyche will endure as one of TV's indelible characters.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) — Danielle Bradbery has "The Voice" — and the microphone-holding trophy to match.

NEW YORK (AP) — Madonna said there were days when she was exhausted during her recent "MDNA" world tour, but she decided to press on.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Best-selling author Vince Flynn, who wrote the Mitch Rapp counterterrorism thriller series and sold more than 15 million books in the U.S. alone, died Wednesday in Minnesota after a more than two-year battle with prostate cancer, according to friends and his publisher. He was 47.

NEW YORK (AP) — Valerie Harper has agreed to give a first-person account of her battle with terminal cancer to NBC News.

The death in Italy of James Gandolfini, who played Mafia boss Tony Soprano on the popular HBO show "The Sopranos," was part of an unusual convergence of mob-related news making headlines this week. Here's a look:

MIAMI (AP) — Country singer Slim Whitman, the high-pitched yodeler who sold millions of records through ever-present TV ads in the 1980s and 1990s and whose song saved the world in the film comedy "Mars Attacks!," died Wednesday at a Florida hospital. He was 90.

MILAN (AP) — Sophia Loren wore green silk and sunglasses for her date with the taxman, Luciano Pavarotti a suit and sneakers. Diego Maradona gave up his diamond stud earring to pay off a tax debt.

LONDON (AP) — Daniel Radcliffe has won magical reviews for his latest stage role as a disabled Irish dreamer in Martin McDonagh's "The Cripple of Inishmaan."

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News "Nightline" anchor Terry Moran is getting a new posting as the network's London-based chief foreign correspondent.

LONDON (AP) — The gown Elizabeth Taylor wore at the first of her eight weddings is for sale. You'll need at least 30,000 pounds ($47,000) to buy it and a tiny waist to wear it.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) — Cher is no stranger to tabloid fodder.

Jet packs, sky pirates and mountaintop taverns.

LONDON (AP) — With Prince William and the former Kate Middleton expecting their first child in mid-July — and much of the world interested in the birth of a future monarch — the royals' office has released some of the couple's plans, although many details are still being kept private. Kate has made several public appearances recently but is expected to keep a low profile in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Here is the latest news about the infant who will, upon entering the world, be third in line for the British throne.

MILAN (AP) — A Milan court on Wednesday convicted the designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana of tax evasion.

NEW YORK (AP) — "Dancing With the Stars" duo Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy have shimmied aboard the Broadway-bound "Forever Tango."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Selma Blair is making a sudden exit from the Charlie Sheen sitcom "Anger Management."

As mobster Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini had the kind of role that reached the very heights of popular culture — a character so famous we end up quoting him, comparing real-life people to him and knowing more about him than our own friends and neighbors. Gangsters have long made for some of the most colorful and quotable characters in TV and movie history. Here are a few who top the list:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Gandolfini's fans and colleagues shared reaction to his death Wednesday: