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Joey Pantoliano: I was ‘worried’ about James Gandolfini’s eating habits

An emotional Joey Pantoliano confessed that he feared for the health of his good friend and “Sopranos” costar, James Gandolfini.

“I was worried about the way he ate,” Pantoliano told “Extra.”

Pantoliano, who played Ralph “Ralphie” Cifaretto on two seasons of the HBO series, recalled a dinner scene where Gandolfini ate steak and eggs for hours.

“I said do you know how much cholesterol is in there? And he said, ‘Eh.’ And he is chewing the whole time. He says, ‘25 percent of my arteries are blocked.’ I said, ‘Are you crazy?’ And he said, ‘Hey, 75 percent still work.’”

The Post learned that the 51-year-old actor, who struggled with booze addiction in his final weeks, scarfed down a decadent final meal that included at least eight alcoholic drinks. He died of a heart attack on June 19 while he was in Rome with his son 13-year-old son Michael for the Taormina Film Festival.

During the interview, Pantoliano praised the Oscar nominee’s immense acting talent saying, “The guy was a power house.”

“He’s a modern day James Dean. You know, and like James Dean, and like Marilyn Monroe, sometimes God takes these people away from us because maybe he is afraid that we’ll take them for granted.”

He also remembered Gandolfini’s generosity. “Jimmy gave everyone a bonus, and it wasn’t a couple hundred dollars. He would do that also [at] Christmas parties. He would put money in an envelope. Cash money, he was great!”

“I hope he knew that I loved him,” a tearful Pantoliano said.

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