- Funeral for James Gandolfini is held Thursday in New York City
- 'The Sopranos' creator was scheduled to speak
- Family and close friends attended a private wake Wednesday in New Jersey
(CNN) -- Playing an anxiety-filled mobster made him famous, but it was the beloved, talented man stars and politicians turned out to bid farewell to on Thursday.
A funeral service was held for James Gandolfini at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City where his friends, family, fans and co-stars came together to mourn the loss of the 51-year-old actor, who died of a heart attack while in Italy on June 20.
"The Sopranos" creator David Chase was scheduled to speak during the service, along with Gandolfini's widow, Deborah Lin Gandolfini, and two family friends. Gandolfini found fame starring as mob boss Tony Soprano on Chase's hit HBO series.
See James Gandolfini's 1989 screen debut
James Gandolfini, who gained fame playing a memorable mafia boss on HBO's "The Sopranos," died after suffering a possible heart attack in Italy on Wednesday, June 19. Pictured, Gandolfini at the premiere of "Zero Dark Thirty" in 2012.
Gandolfini and Jane Fonda attend an after-party for the HBO series "Newsroom" in Hollywood on June 20, 2012.
Gandolfini attends the Keep Memory Alive Foundation's Power of Love Gala celebrating Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday in 2012 in Las Vegas.
Gandolfini watches the New York Jets play the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 24, 2011, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Gandolfini with his wife, Deborah Lin, at the premiere of HBO Films' "Cinema Verite" at Paramount Pictures Studio in Los Angeles in 2011.
Gandolfini arrives for the world premiere of "Violet & Daisy" at the Elgin Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2011.
Gandolfini arrives at the 2011 BAFTA Brits To Watch Event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.
Gandolfini visits with service members and civilians on Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, on March 29, 2010, during a USO tour.
Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis during the curtain call of the opening of the Broadway play "God of Carnage" on March 22, 2009, at the Broadway Theatre in New York.
Edie Falco and Gandolfini present the award for outstanding miniseries at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006.
Gandolfini attends the sixth season premiere of "The Sopranos" in New York in 2006.
Gandolfini speaks at the 9th Annual Critics' Choice Awards gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2004.
Gandolfini poses backstage during the 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 2003 in Los Angeles.
The cast of "The Sopranos," from left, Tony Sirico, Steve Van Zandt, James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore.
Gandolfini with Edie Falco, left, and Lorraine Bracco at the DVD launch party for "The Sopranos: The Complete Fifth Season" in 2005 in New York.
Gandolfini accepts the Television Drama Award at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2000.
Photos: James Gandolfini
Cast members from that show, including Lorraine Bracco and Tony Sirico, embraced others as they arrived. Spectators stood nearby as they watched a wide range of well-knowns enter the church, from actor Alec Baldwin to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
In addition to the remembrances by family and friends, the 90-minute service was to include traditional hymns and contemporary selections, according to HBO. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine was selected because it is large enough to accommodate the multitude of family, friends and fans expected to attend, an HBO representative said.
Despite reports the network planned to film the funeral, "HBO is not recording it. It is being recorded for personal archival usage," a spokesperson from that company told CNN.
The service followed a private wake held Wednesday at a funeral home in Park Ridge, New Jersey, the New York Daily News reported. The invitation-only event drew tearful family and friends who grappled with their loss.
"It's a nightmare for the whole family," Bob Price, who is married to one of Gandolfini's cousins, told the Daily News. "It's a horrible, horrible thing. Everybody is just devastated."
Wednesday evening, Broadway dimmed its lights in memory of the actor, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for his work in the play "God of Carnage."
