'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Backtracks, Tony Soprano May Be Dead After All

On Wednesday, Vox published a feature on the topic of whether or not the "Sopranos" protagonist is still alive after the HBO series' vague ending in 2007.

In Vox's article, writer Martha P. Nochimson recalled a conversation with series creator David Chase, in which she allegedly asked him, "Is Tony Soprano dead?"

"He shook his head 'no.' And he simply said, 'No, he isn't,'" Nochimson wrote.

But now Chase's representative is denying the report, saying that her client's comments have been "misconstrued."

"A journalist for Vox misconstrued what David Chase said in their interview. To simply quote David as saying, 'Tony Soprano is not dead,' is inaccurate. There is a much larger context for that statement and as such, it is not true. As David Chase has said numerous times on the record, 'Whether Tony Soprano is alive or dead is not the point.' To continue to search for this answer is fruitless. The final scene of 'The Sopranos' raises a spiritual question that has no right or wrong answer."

In the Vox interview, Chase does reveal that the series' finale was inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe poem "A Dream Within a Dream," about struggling to say goodbye to a loved one as grains of sand pass through his fingers.

"What more can I say?" Chase asked.

This isn't the first time Chase has addressed the mysterious finale, which ends abruptly with Tony Soprano sitting in a café, looking up at the entrance to the sound of an ominous jingling bell.

During a Q&A at a "Sopranos" screening in April, Chase said the ending "was meant to make you feel, not to make you think."

Actor James Gandolfini, who played Tony Soprano, died last June.

Watch the final "Sopranos" scene below.