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Crass Gesture? Amazon Pulls Hasty James Gandolfini Memorial Facebook Post — Which Also Happens to Promote a ‘Sopranos’ DVD Set

Jun 24, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Amazon was apparently shamed into pulling a hastily posted ad for a “Sopranos” DVD set, which appeared on Facebook in the hours after news broke of the death Wednesday of “Sopranos” star James Gandolfini.

The company quickly removed the entry after negative comments were posted by readers. The item consisted of the text “Saddened to hear about the passing of James Gandolfini today. We’ll miss you, James, and the memorable characters you brought to life,” followed by a link where readers could buy the DVDs and a picture of the DVD set.

The Huffington Post notes: “While the company’s link to ‘Sopranos’ DVDs may have struck some as crass, it’s not uncommon for companies to profit off celebrity deaths. Just hours after Whitney Houston’s death, Sony Music, which owns the rights to some of Houston’s work, boosted the prices of two her albums on the U.K. iTunes site, a move that stoked the ire of her fans. The company later apologized and reversed the price hike.”

Among the comments on the Gandolfini post:

“Stay classy Amazon. I’m sure James Gandolfini’s family is happy that his untimely death could bump up your Sopranos DVD sales.”

And:

“I’m ashamed to be an Amazon shopper & Kindle user right now. It was in poor taste that you guys put up a link ‘remembering’ James Gandolfini along with a link to purchase Season 1 of The Sopranos. This is a real person, not a promotional opportunity.”

Amazon had not commented for the Huffington Post story.

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