James Caan, the legendary Godfather actor, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82, according to his family. According to their announcement, the renowned actor who portrayed Sonny Corleone in the mobster classic passed away yesterday.
They asked for privacy as they grieved and stated they “appreciate the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences” from his millions of fans.
His manager, however, said that their connection “was always friendship before business” and referred to him as “one of the greatest and best actors our business has ever seen.”
The actor, who also appeared in Misery, Elf, and Mickey Blue Eyes, received a deluge of tributes. Many people posted passages from his portrayal of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather and debated which of his roles was the best.
They were led by Adam Sandler, who said he ‘always wanted to be like him’ and Misery director Rob Reiner who said he ‘loved working with him’.
After spending some time in a wheelchair while recuperating from back surgery, Caan was seen using a walker at a restaurant in California last year while dining with friends.
He was upright and appeared healthier in photos from his attendance at The Godfather’s 50th Anniversary Celebration in Los Angeles on February 22.
The cause of death is still unknown.
The actor leaves behind his five children, four ex-wives, including Sheila Ryan, who dated Elvis, and son Scott, who is pursuing acting and appears in Entourage.
He died barely over a month after fellow gangster movie star Ray Liotta, who was 67, passed away in his sleep while filming a new TV series in the Dominican Republic.
Caan’s family said in a post on his Twitter on Thursday: ‘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. End of tweet.’
His manager DelPiano said: ‘Jimmy was one of the greatest. Not only was he one of the best actors our business has ever seen, he was funny, loyal, caring and beloved.
‘Our relationship was always friendship before business. I will miss him dearly and am proud to have worked with him all these years.’
The Bronx native is best known for his role as Santino ‘Sonny’ Corleone in The Godfather as well as starring in blockbusters Misery, Elf and Mickey Blue Eyes.
He did not slow down later in life and continued his work in recent years, with his most recent coming in the 2019 crime drama Out of Blue.
He started to take things slower from 2015 when he was rushed to hospital suffering with chest pain. But the Hollywood vet was not having a heart attack and was just suffering from a chest infection.
Tributes flooded in for the legendary actor, with Rob Reiner, who directed Caan’s movie Misery, writing: ‘So sorry to hear the news. I loved working with him.
‘And the only Jew I knew who could calf rope with the best of them. Love to the family.’ Maria Shriver wrote: ‘So sad about Jimmy Caan. He was a legend. He was always kind to me. Sending his family my love.’
James Gunn wrote: ‘Rest In Peace James Caan. 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).’
Adam Sandler said: ‘James Caan. Loved him very much. Always wanted to be like him. So happy I got to know him. Never ever stopped laughing when I was around that man.’
He added: ‘His movies were best of the best. We all will miss him terribly. Thinking of his family and sending my love.’
Piers Morgan put: ‘RIP James Caan, 82. Brilliant actor – loved him as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, such a ferocious, menacing, magnificent performance.
‘Met him once at a party in LA and he was a very funny & highly entertaining man. Sad news.’ Jim Cramer wrote: ‘Chronically underrated James Caan now sleeps with the fishes. Man i loved that guy.’
Gary Sinise said: ‘Very sad to hear the news that James Caan has died. Heartbroken for his family & his friends. Wonderful to know him & call him a pal.
‘Jimmy was so supportive of Gary Sinise Foundation & my work w/ our veterans. He will be missed. Thank you my friend. Rest In Peace. God bless you.’
A football player at Michigan State University and a practical joker on production sets, Caan was a grinning, handsome performer with an athlete´s swagger and muscular build.
He managed a staggering six-decade career despite drug problems, outbursts of temper and minor brushes with the law.
Caan had been a favorite of Francis Ford Coppola since the 1960s, when Coppola cast him for the lead in ‘Rain People.’
He was primed for a featured role in ‘The Godfather’ as Sonny, the No. 1 enforcer and eldest son of Mafia boss Vito Corleone.
Sonny Corleone, a violent and reckless man who conducted many killings, met his own end in one of the most jarring movie scenes in history.
For decades after, he once said, strangers would approach him on the street and jokingly warn him to stay clear of toll roads.
Despite Coppola’s fears he had made a flop, the 1972 release was an enormous critical and commercial success and brought supporting actor Oscar nominations for Caan, Duvall and Al Pacino.
Caan was already a star on television, breaking through in the 1971 TV movie ‘Brian´s Song,’ an emotional drama about Chicago Bears running back Brian Piccolo, who had died of cancer the year before at age 26.
After ‘Brian´s Song’ and ‘The Godfather,’ he was one of Hollywood´s busiest actors, appearing in ‘Hide in Plain Sight’ (which he also directed), ‘Funny Lady’ (opposite Barbra Streisand), ‘The Killer Elite’ and Neil Simon´s ‘Chapter Two,’ among others. He also made a brief appearance in a flashback sequence in ‘The Godfather, Part II.’
But by the early 1980s he began to sour on films. He had begun to struggle with drug use and was devastated by the 1981 leukemia death of his sister, Barbara, who until then had been a guiding force in his career.
He returned to full-fledged stardom opposite Kathy Bates in ‘Misery’ in 1990.
Once again in demand, Caan starred in ‘For the Boys’ with Bette Midler in 1991 as part of a song-and-dance team entertaining U.S. soldiers during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. The following year he played a tongue-in-cheek version of Sonny Corleone in the comedy ‘Honeymoon in Vegas.’
Other later films included ‘Flesh and Bone,’ ‘Bottle Rocket’ and ‘Mickey Blue Eyes.’ He introduced himself to a new generation playing Walter, the workaholic, stone-faced father of Buddy´s Will Ferrell in ‘Elf.’
Caan had a checkered relationship history, and has been married four times. His first marriage to Dee Jay Mathis ended in 1966 after five years, and they share daughter Tara, 55.
Ten years later he tied the knot with Sheila Marie Ryan, but they divorced the following year in 1976, the same year they welcomed son Scott, 43.
In 1990, Caan married Ingrid Hajek, they welcomed son Alexander, 28, the following year and divorced in 1994.
His fourth marriage occurred in 1995, when he tied the knot to Linda Stokes. The couple had sons James, 24, and Jacob, 21, before divorcing in 2009, citing irreconcilable differences.
In 2016 he claimed his estranged wife Stokes was blowing through his savings and is forced to keep working in order to pay the bills according to legal documents found by TMZ.
The gossip site claimed he was currently paying $13,000 a month in child support for their two boys but it appeared she was asking for more money.
Perhaps the most striking claim in the documents was Caan felt the money issues were forcing him to take sub-par roles in order to keep up financially.
The docs read: ‘I am no longer willing to take parts in films and/or television shows which detract from the 50 years I have spent building my reputation.’
He continues by saying that the Sicilian Vampire drama he had to work on, which was released in the summer of 2015, was “humiliating” because only 50 people showed up for the New York City premiere.
He wed Dee Jay Mathis in 1961, and the two had a daughter named Tara before divorcing in 1966.
Sheila Marie Ryan, an ex-girlfriend of Elvis Presley, and Caan were married for a second time in 1976, but their union was short-lived because they split up the following year.
Scott Caan, their other actor son, was born in 1976.
From September 1990 to March 1994, Caan was wed to Ingrid Hajek; their son Alexander was born in 1991.