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Breanna Robinson
Jul 07, 2022
James Caan, Oscar Nominee For 'The Godfather,' Dies At 82
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James Caan, the actor who starred in The Godfather, Elf, El Dorado, among other films, has died aged 82.
On Thursday, his official Twitter posted a statement: “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."
There was no immediate cause of death mentioned.
Many celebrities and fans alike took to social media to pay their respects to Caan.
“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,” said actor and New York Times Bestseller Gary Sinise.
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\u201cIt is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6.\n\nThe family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.\n\nEnd of tweet\u201d— James Caan (@James Caan) 1657213321
RIP James Caan, who channeled tough-guy vulnerability like no other actor in his generation. I *loved* watching him explode and fall apart in movies,” added Sean Fennessey, the Head of Content at Ringer.
https://twitter.com/SeanFennessey/status/154509454...
Comedian Adam Sandler also expressed how he “loved” Caan and was so happy to know him.
“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. His movies were best of the best. We all will miss him terribly. Thinking of his family and sending my love,” he wrote.
\u201cJames 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. His movies were best of the best. We all will miss him terribly. Thinking of his family and sending my love.\u201d— Adam Sandler (@Adam Sandler) 1657217943
Check out other reactions below:
\u201cRIP 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\u201d— Andy Richter (@Andy Richter) 1657215479
\u201c@James_Caan Absolute legend .....\n\nEnd of tweet \ud83d\udc94\u201d— James Caan (@James Caan) 1657213321
\u201cIn remembrance of the legendary James Caan. Rest In Peace.\u201d— The Godfather (@The Godfather) 1657218010
\u201cthere are so many incredible movies & performances to remember him for but i\u2019ve always been very moved by this clip of james caan describing how mann having him learn how to crack a safe for real for thief felt like graduating from harvard, he was so proud he called his mom. RIP\u201d— josh lewis (@josh lewis) 1657214570
\u201cRest 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). \ud83d\ude4f\u2764\ufe0f\u201d— James Gunn (@James Gunn) 1657215276
\u201c"You're marking time is what you are. You're backing off. You're hiding out. You're waiting for a bus that you hope never comes because you don't wanna get on it anyway because you don't wanna go anywhere." Rest in peace, James Caan.\u201d— Bilge Ebiri (@Bilge Ebiri) 1657214630
\u201cWe all had our favorite James Caan dad role. ELF is very high up there but every time I watch CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, this scene always melted my soul. What a rich tender voice Caan had and a hell of a phenomenal actor he was. RIP.\u201d— Rendy Jones (@Rendy Jones) 1657215131
\u201cThey don\u2019t make actors like this anymore!\n\nRest In Peace \nJames Caan\n#KidVicious\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffc\u201d— KID VICIOUS\ud83d\udd2a (@KID VICIOUS\ud83d\udd2a) 1657215650
The New York-born actor, was well-known for his role as Santino “Sonny” Corleone, the brother to Al Pacino’s Michael.
“One of the things that made ‘The Godfather’ successful, besides brilliant directing and writing and wonderful actors … was that everyone really enjoyed making it, and that comes off on the screen,” Caan toldThe Post.
He was s nominated for an Oscar for his role in the fiom based on the Mario Puzo novel. Caan also said his co-star Marlon Brando was “great” and had a sense of humour.
“He had a great sense of humor, but he would have trouble figuring out the f**king punch line sometimes…Two hours later, it was playing in his f**king head. He was like a child like that. I loved him.”
In a conversation with Variety surrounding the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, Caan said that the film had “a lot of sincerity to it and a lot of art.”
He also revealed that he was auditioning for Al Pacino’s role as Michael.
“I went to New York and read for the role, and then they had Al [Pacino] come in and test, and he was a little self-destructive. They warned him, don’t do that again, or you’re fired. But Francis got what he wanted in the end. He always does.”
Caan is survived by five children, Ocean’s 11 star Scott Caan, 45; James Arthur Caan, 26; Tara A. Caan, 57; Jacob Nicholas Caan, 23; and Alexander James Caan, 31.
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