“Sopranos” Star Lorraine Bracco Holds Back Tears Remembering Late Costar James Gandolfini in Emmys Reunion

Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli led an emotional tribute in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the hit HBO series at the 2023 Emmys on Monday night

The Sopranos gang is back together once again!

Monday's 75th annual Emmy Awards, hosted by Anthony Anderson, saw cast members from the iconic HBO crime drama reunite. Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperioli took the stage, garnering excitement from the crowd as they stepped into a recreation of Dr. Melfi's therapy office.

Anderson introduced the two former castmates as he praised the long-running HBO show, which was nominated for more than 100 Emmys, for making "television history."

Imperioli, 57, remarked on the anniversary the cast recently celebrated of the hit drama. "2024 marks the 25th anniversary of this series that Lorraine and I were so fortunate to be a part of."

Bracco, 69, spoke next and got emotional as she gave a shoutout to Tony Soprano himself, the late James Gandolfini.

"And speaking for Michael, myself and the entire cast and crew, it was an honor working with Sopranos creator David Chase and of course the great James Gandolfini," Bracco said, her voice catching as she mentioned the late actor, who died in 2013.

While the pair stood in a makeshift set of Bracco's character's office, a framed photo of Gandolfini sat next to a tissue box on a small table.

Related: 'Succession', 'White Lotus' and More Dominate 2023 Emmy Nominations: See the Full List

Bracco and Imperioli's tribute to The Sopranos, which ran for six seasons on HBO from 1999 to 2007, comes after the actress opened up to PEOPLE at the cast's 25th anniversary celebration in New York City on Wednesday about how Gandolfini's presence was missed at the reunion event.

“I always think about him," Bracco said. “I have moments that I have in my mind, or something will happen, that Jimmy will come back to me."

She shared that if Gandolfini — who played a struggling New Jersey mob boss who sought therapy with her character, Dr. Melfi, to mend his mental health woes — had been with the cast, he'd have been up to his usual antics.

Gandolfini was "very serious" while in character, she said, “but when he was done, he turned into a maniac.”

“Oh my God. He would make such jokes, he would fool around, he would dance around,” she added. “He was very fun.”

Related: Lorraine Bracco Says She and James Gandolfini 'Pranked' Each Other: 'He Had a Great Sense of Humor' (Exclusive)

Edie Falco, Dominic Chianese, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler also starred in the show, along with Bracco, Imperioli and Gandolfini, which won 21 Emmy Awards throughout its run.

Ahead of Monday's event, PEOPLE announced that stars from The Sopranos would come together alongside the cast of Cheers to honor the last 75 years of television.

"We are paying tribute to iconic shows that have changed the scope of television and entertainment by being on the air," Anderson, 53, shared with PEOPLE.

"We're going to be paying homage to them, having a lot of cast members come back as themselves, as these characters," he added, "and there's going to be a little interchange between me and them on the sets of their shows."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 75th annual Emmy Awards as they're broadcasting live from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on FOX.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.