David Chase Finally Reveals if Tony Died at the End of The Sopranos


It’s been called one of the most puzzling finales in television history, but seven years after The Sopranos went black creator David Chase is finally answering the age-old question, “Did Tony really die?”

Martha P. Nochimson breaks the earth-shattering news in a piece that was published today on Vox:

I had been talking with Chase for a few years when I finally asked him whether Tony was dead or alive, Nochimson writes. We were in a tiny coffee shop, when, in the middle of a low-key chat about a writing problem I was having, I popped the question. 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.” And then, for whatever reason, he told me.

He shook his head “no.” And he said simply, “No he isn’t.”

Hitfix points out that Nochimson never clarifies how she phrased the question. “If she literally said ‘Is Tony dead or alive,’ then Chase’s ‘No, he isn’t,’ response is just one more attempt to elude an explanation. But Nochimson follows by writing, ‘Fine. Tony’s not dead. But what do we do with this bald fact? And isn’t Chase’s flat response exactly the point?'”

So all signs point to the fact that Tony’s alive and well somewhere in New Jersey.

Read the rest of the interview here