‘Sopranos’ Creator David Chase Finally Reveals if Tony Soprano Lived or Died (Update)

He wasn’t happy to answer the question — but he allegedly did

Tony Soprano

UPDATED, Wednesday 5:09 p.m.: David Chase‘s representative has blasted Vox’s article, saying that Chase’s comments about the fate of Tony Soprano were “misconstrued.”

“A journalist for Vox misconstrued what David Chase said in their interview. To simply quote David as saying, ‘Tony Soprano is not dead,’ is inaccurate. There is a much larger context for that statement and as such, it is not true,” Chase’s representative, Leslee Dart, said in a statement Wednesday.

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You’re off the hook, Members Only Guy.

Show creator David Chase finally revealed that main character Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) lived through the controversial and intentionally open-ended 2007 “Sopranos” series finale, according to a lengthy piece published Wednesday on Vox.

Chase begrudgingly revealed the truth over coffee, several years into his professional relationship with site’s writer Martha P. Nochimson.

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Of their conversation, Nochimson recalled: “Chase startled me by turning toward me and saying with sudden, explosive anger, ‘Why are we talking about this?’ I answered, ‘I’m just curious.’”

On the pointed question — “Is Tony Soprano dead?” — Chase replied in the following manner: “He shook his head ‘no.’ And he simply said, ‘No he isn’t.’”

“That was all,” Nochimson wrote.

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When she asked Chase about the infamous cut to black, he told her that it is about Poe’s poem, “Dream Within a Dream.”

Prodding Chase for more, he simply summed up, “What more can I say?”

See photos: Hollywood Gathers to Pay Respects at James Gandolfini’s Funeral

“The Sopranos” ended in very dramatic fashion. After a tense scene involving the titular family meeting in a diner, terrible, suspenseful parallel parking by Meadow (Jamie Lynn-Sigler) and some shady actions by a shifty fella in a Members Only jacket — the show silently cut to black.

Many believed their cable went out. But in reality, Chase just left the scene up for interpretation. Almost immediately, competing theories hit the web — though probably the predominant one said that Tony was killed, resulting in the silent darkness, as the audience saw and felt the murder through the main character’s eyes.

Also read: James Gandolfini Funeral: Actor Remembered as a Hugger, Teddy Bear and Builder

Until presumably now, Chase had not spoken publicly about his intentions.

Read the full story here at Vox and watch the iconic final scene here:

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