Editorial

‘Sopranos’ Creator David Chase Reveals Tony Dies At The End Of The Show

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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“Sopranos” creator David Chase has officially revealed Tony’s fate.

The hit HBO show ended with Tony and his family getting dinner in a diner and the screen cut to black without confirming whether or not he was alive. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

The ending is widely-considered one of the most polarizing endings in the history of television.

Well, after years and years of debate, Chase has put to rest whether or not Tony died. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chase was asked if a previous reference about it being a “death scene” was a “slip of the tongue.”

“No,” Chase told THR. He then further explained, “Because the scene I had in my mind was not that scene. Nor did I think of cutting to black. I had a scene in which Tony comes back from a meeting in New York in his car. At the beginning of every show, he came from New York into New Jersey, and the last scene could be him coming from New Jersey back into New York for a meeting at which he was going to be killed.”

In terms of people’s reaction to the infamous ending, Chase told THR the following:

They wanted to know that Tony was killed. They wanted to see him go face-down in linguini, you know? And I just thought, ‘God, you watched this guy for seven years and I know he’s a criminal. But don’t tell me you don’t love him in some way, don’t tell me you’re not on his side in some way. And now you want to see him killed? You want justice done? You’re a criminal after watching this shit for seven years.’ That bothered me, yeah. 

Most fans have believed for a long time that Tony didn’t survive the series finale, and I don’t think Chase’s comments will surprise anyone.

The entire shot is framed so that the audience sees Tony’s POV on the door opening. When the screen cut to black it was because Tony’s POV had gone dark after his death.

This has always been the most accepted theory and Chase has now confirmed that the legendary crime boss died.

It’s hard to believe fans waited fourteen years for concrete confirmation, but here we are. I guess this will end the debates forever.

On a side note, if you haven’t already watched “The Sopranos,” I can’t recommend it enough. It’s one of the top five greatest shows ever made and the audience has only grown since the epic series finale.

You can check it out on HBO Max. Trust me, it’s worth every second of your time.