Actress Jamie Lynn Sigler has paid tribute to her one-time Tv dad a week after the first anniversary of James Gandolfini's death.

The 33 year old, who played the actor's daughter Meadow in The Sopranos, was in the middle of a New York Daily News interview on Wednesday (25Jun14) when she recalled the sad anniversary.

She said, "It blows my mind to think it's been a year.

"He had a tremendous impact for me as an actress whether he knew it or not. Just observing him and watching him on set, I learned everything from him.

"He was supportive when I was going through tough times in my life. He would just know whether I said it or not and was always there for me. He made me feel supported and loved and important and good at what I did when I needed those times of reassurance."

Gandolfini suffered a heart attack and died a year ago (19Jun13) while vacationing with his family in Italy. He was 51.