Eerie GQ Story Explores Gandolfini's Darker Side

A GQ story that was already on newsstands when James Gandolfini died is rattling: Titled "The Night Tony Soprano Disappeared," it takes a close look at Gandolfini's darker side, from his struggles with drugs and alcohol to his intense, often difficult, and sometimes even self-punishing behavior while on set. The story, an excerpt from Brett Martin's new book, Difficult Men, particularly focuses on a January 2002 incident when Gandolfini simply didn't show up to shoot the final appearance of a Sopranos character.

Cast and crew waited for days, with some fearing the worst. Upon hearing the beginnings of a news report—"Sad news from Hollywood today..."—Sopranos executive producer Terence Winter recalls that his first thought was, "Holy s---! He's dead." But Gandolfini surfaced on the fourth day, after wandering into a Brooklyn beauty salon to use the phone. He called the show's production office and asked for a car to be sent to bring him home. The article does not reveal where he had been during the intervening days. Click to read the full story. (More James Gandolfini stories.)