angel: American actor James Caan, who starred as gangster Sonny Corleone in the epic mafia film “The Godfather”, has died at the age of 82, his family said in a statement on Thursday (July 7). The actor passed away on Wednesday evening, said a statement posted on Cannes’s official Twitter account. No cause of death or location was given.
“The family appreciates the love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time,” the statement read. Cannes was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the hot-tempered Corleone in 1972’s “The Godfather.” He reprized the role in flashback sequences.
“The Godfather: Part II” in 1974. Other nominations included four Golden Globes and an Emmy. Al Pacino, who played Sonny Corleone’s brother Michael in “The Godfather”, praised Cain as “a great actor, a brilliant director, and a dear friend of mine”.
“It’s hard to believe that he will no longer be in the world because he was so alive and courageous,” Pacino said in a statement.
Francis Ford Coppola, who directed Cannes in “The Godfather” and the 1969 film “The Rain People”, said Cannes’ films “and the many great roles he played will never be forgotten”.
Cannes’s career spanned six decades and included a wide range of other roles in films, from the psychological thriller ‘Misery’ to the comedy ‘Elf’. Last year, she starred opposite Ellen Burstyn in the romantic comedy ‘Queen Bees’.
James Edmund Kahn was born on 26 March 1940 in the Bronx borough of New York City to German Jewish immigrants. One of three siblings, Cannes began acting on television in 1961. He gained widespread acclaim for his role in the 1971 TV film “Bryan’s Song”, in which he played real-life Chicago Bears football player Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer at the age of four. 26. The role earned Cannes an Emmy nomination.
Billy Dee Williams, who starred alongside Cannes in “Bryan’s Song,” shared an un-dated photo of the two in recent years on his Twitter account.
Williams tweeted with a broken heart emoji, “Team mate and friend to the end. RIP Jimmy.”