James Caan, best known for his role in The Godfather, has died at the age of 82.
The sad news was relayed in a message posted on the Oscar-nominated actor's social media accounts.
It read: “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
Caan was born in 1940 in the Bronx, New York City. He studied acting at Hofstra University in New York state, later meeting Francis Ford Coppola, who was responsible for giving Caan his most acclaimed role in The Godfather – in addition to a cameo in its sequel. He played the character of Sonny Corleone.
One of the first Hollywood names to pay tribute to the legendary actor was Guardians Of The Galaxy director James Gunn.
“Rest In Peace James Caan,” Gunn wrote on Twitter. “There are so many movies of his I love, The Godfather films of course being at the very top, but here are a few more I adore (Thief in particular was a Gunn family classic – I had the poster on my wall in high school).”
Jennifer Tilly, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in 1994's Bullets Over Broadway, shared an amusing anecdote Caan had himself once shared with her.
She wrote: "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…"
Andy Richter also had fond memories of working with Caan, writing: "RIP James Caan. Shocked. Was lucky enough, after a lifetime of loving his work, to get to work with him and I loved him as a person even more. Funny, warm, self-deprecating, and effortlessly talented. They say never meet your heroes, but he proved that to be very very wrong."
Caan continued to appear in movies until his passing and was set to film his fifth collaboration with Coppola, titled Megalopolis, this fall.
A cause of death is yet to be provided.
