Goldee, a 23-year-old mare most famous for her portrayal of Pie-O-My on “The Sopranos,” died on Saturday. She had been living on a private farm in Warwick.
Goldee, a 23-year-old mare most famous for her portrayal of Pie-O-My on “The Sopranos,” died on Saturday. She had been living on a private farm in Warwick.
According to her Twitter account, Goldee struggled with equine Cushing’s disease – “a chronic progressive disease of the intermediate pituitary gland of older horses.”
On the show, Pie-O-My is a profitable racehorse owned by Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano), but when Tony Soprano’s (James Gandolfini) cut becomes too large and medical bills become a nuisance, it’s implied but never confirmed that Ralphie burned down her barn.
In reality, Goldee was never a racehorse. Owner Kimberly Martin explained to News 12 at SopranosCon in 2019 that she was raised as a dressage horse before Hollywood called. The horse used for the racing scenes was a double.
“If you look at the video clip, and you’re a real ‘Sopranos’ fan, the racehorse only has a white dot on its head,” she says.
Martin also explained that a trainer from California worked for two days with Goldee to get her to lay down in her stable during a pivotal scene with Gandolfini.
“It was very easy, very gentle,” says Martin.
Goldee’s Twitter account asked fans to donate to local animal shelters in her memory.
