One of The Godfather greats has passed away. James Caan’s family has confirmed that the legendary actor died on Wednesday at the age of 82.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6,” read the tweet from his official account. “The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
Caan’s career spanned five decades, but his breakout role was as the eldest Corleone son, Sonny, in 1972’s The Godfather. The role earned him nominations for both the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. Caan reprised the character two years later for The Godfather II.
Amongst those who paid tribute to the late star was Adam Sandler who worked with him on Bulletproof and That’s My Boy.
“James Caan. Loved him very much. Always wanted to be like him. So happy I got to know him,” Sandler wrote alongside a black-and-white portrait of Caan as a young man. “Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man. His movies were best of the best. We all will miss him terribly. Thinking of his family and sending my love.”
Jennifer Tilly shared an amusing anecdote about her Jericho Mansions co-star.
“James Caan always had the funniest stories. Once he told me Coppola had the habit of grabbing food off his plate & eating it, so one day he made a sandwich with very hot jalapeños between two pieces of buttered bread, & waited outside Coppola’s airstream…” the actress tweeted. “Coppola came roaring out to direct the next scene, grabbed the sandwich off the plate & gobbled it down. Immediately tears started squirting out of his eyes & he started yelling “‘What is this? What did you do to me?!’ And Jimmy said meekly ‘Did I ask you to eat my sandwich? Did I?’”
Caan’s final role will be in 2023’s Fast Charlie which is currently in post-production.
