James Gandolfini, best known in his Emmy-winning role Tony Soprano, was laid to rest June 27 after a star-studded funeral attended by 1,800 family, friends, and fans. Among those in attendance were HBO co-stars Edie Falco, Steve Buscemi, Tony Sirico, Aida Turturro, Dominic Chianese and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, New Jersey Gov. , NBC newsman Brian Williams and fellow actors Alec Baldwin, Julianna Margulies, Chris Noth and Marcia Gay Harden.The 51-year-old actor was on a family vacation in Rome on June 19 when he died of a presumed heart attack.
Gandolfini was found in the bathroom of his hotel room by his 13-year-old son Michael, alive but in distress. Hotel employees attended to him until emergency crews arrived and took him to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.
An autopsy confirmed that Gandolfini had indeed suffered a fatal myocardial infarction.
Gandolfini also has a 9 month-old daughter, Liliana, with his wife Deborah Lin. Actress Edie Falco, who played his wife Carmela on The Sopranos, warmly her TV spouse:
"I am shocked and devastated by Jim's passing. He was a man of tremendous depth and sensitivity, with a kindness and generosity beyond words. I consider myself very lucky to have spent 10 years as his close colleague."
The State of American Hearts: 2013 Edition
Each year, the, the , the and other government agencies compile and summarize the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases.The current version was released in the January 2013 issue of . Here is a summary of some of the most interesting (and sometimes shocking) findings.
American epidemic of poor cardiovascular health behaviors
Attributable fractions for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality:
- 40.6% Hypertension
- 13.7% Smoking
- 13.2% Poor Diet
- 11.9% Insufficient Physical Activity
- 8.8% Abnormal Glucose Levels
Smoking
In adults ≥ 18, 21.3% of men and 16.7% of women identified themselves as cigarette smokers. In addition, 18.1% of students in grades 9 to 12 admit to currently smoking.Fortunately, there has been a decline in second-hand smoke (as measured by serum ). In 1999, 53.5% of the nonsmoking population had detectable cotinine levels, compared to 40.1% in 2008. The decline was greatest in the population of 3-to-11-year-olds.
Inactivity
The proportion of youth (under 18) engaging in regular physical activity is low and decreases with age. In 2011, 17.9% girls and 10.0% of boys in grades 9-12 said that they are not engaged in ≥60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise at any time during the week. 32% of adults get NO aerobic leisure-time physical activity.Diet
Data from the (NHANES) reveals that the average total calorie consumption among US adults increased 22% in women and 10% in men from 1971 to 2004. The biggest increase was in carbohydrate intake -- especially starches, refined grains and sugars.It is estimated that the prevalence of overweight and obese adults in the US is 154.7 million (68.2% of the population). A total of 34% are considered obese. This problem affects all races and ethnic groups.
Cardiovascular health factors and risks remain an issue for many Americans
- 31.9 million adults have total serum cholesterol levels ≥240mg/dl
- 33% of U.S. adults have hypertension (78 million)
- African Americans have one of the highest prevalence rates of hypertension in the world (44%)
- In 2010, an estimated 19.7 million Americans had diagnosed diabetes mellitus (8.3% of the adult population)
- Another 8 million have undiagnosed diabetes
- 38.2% have prediabetes
Although death rates have declined, the disease burden remains high
In the decade between 1999 to 2009 the relative rate of death attributed to CVD declined by 32.7%. However CVD still accounts for 32.3% of deaths in the U.S. -- or 1 in 3.- Coronary heart disease causes about 1 in 6 deaths
- 635,000 Americans have a new coronary attack (myocardial infarction or MI) each year
- 280,000 have a recurrent MI each year
"Approximately every 34 seconds, 1 American has a coronary event, and approximately every 1 minute, an American will die of one."
In the decade between 1999 and 2009 the relative rate of stroke death fell by 36.9%
- 610,000 people experience a new stroke each year
- 185,000 experience a recurrent stroke
"On average, every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke and dies of one every 4 minutes."
The iconic final scene of The Sopranos was filmed in a Bloomfield, N.J. ice cream parlor named Holsten's.
The parlor has placed a "reserved" sign at the table where the Soprano family sat, as a tribute to the actor.