Sopranos’ Creator David Chase Delivers an Open Letter Eulogy to James Gandolfini

“David Chase (center right) leaves the funeral for actor James Gandolfini…on June 27, 2013 in New York City. Gandolfini passed away on June 19, 2013 while vacationing in Rome, Italy.”

At the funeral services for the recently deceased James Gandolfini, Sopranos creator David Chase delivered an open letter eulogy, which has been posted in its entirety at Entertainment Weekly. The services were held at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City.

Here is an excerpt of the eulogy:

…Experts told me to start with a joke, recite a funny anecdote. Ha ha ha. But as you yourself so often said, “I’m not feelin’ it.” I’m too sad and full of despair. I’m running too partly because I would like to have had your advice, because I remember how you did speeches. I saw you do a lot of them at awards shows and stuff, and invariably, I think you would scratch two or three thoughts on a sheet of paper and put it in your pocket, and then not really refer to it. And consequently, a lot of your speeches didn’t make sense.

I think that could happen here. Except in your case, it didn’t matter if it didn’t make sense because the feeling was real. The feeling was real. The feeling was real. I can’t say that enough.

I tried to write a traditional eulogy, but it came out like bad TV. So I’m writing you this letter and I’m hoping it’s better. But it is being done to and for an audience, so we’ll give the funny opening a try. I hope it is funny. It is to me; I know it is to you…

Read the rest at Entertainment Weekly.

via Cody Brown