Donald Soffer Remembers James Caan as a Longtime ‘Loyal’ Friend: ‘Always a Straight-Up Guy’

“He never stopped being loyal,” Donald Soffer tells PEOPLE of longtime friend James Caan, who died Wednesday at age 82

Donald Soffer is remembering James Caan as a tough guy who would do anything for those he loved.

In an exclusive chat with PEOPLE, the 89-year-old Miami businessman and philanthropist recalls first meeting Caan, who died Wednesday at age 82, “in the early 1980s, when I was fishing off of Bimini in the Bahamas.”

“He was a rodeo rider and wearing cowboy boots. We hit it off and became friends,” says Soffer.

He says they loved to hang out in Europe, California and Miami: “We were two single guys for many of those years, and had a great time in Europe.”

Soffer is known for having developed the city of Aventura, Florida, including Turnberry Isle, and tells PEOPLE Caan had his own place there.

“We hung out and did things together all the time,” he says.

James Caan publicity portrait for the film ‘The Rain People’, 1969. (Photo by Warner Brothers-Seven Arts/Getty Images)

According to Soffer, Caan “loved to meet girls and take them out on dates,” and sometimes “he would take one out and tell me he would be right back. Then I didn’t see him until three weeks later!”

Soffer also says the actor got into “a lot of trouble in Miami by overdoing everything” — but at the same time, he felt deeply.

“I remember how hard he took his sister Barbara’s death from cancer in 1981,” Soffer tells PEOPLE. “It tore him apart.”

Soffer says what he admired most about Caan was his loyalty to his friends, often to a fault. He acted like a tough guy, especially if someone bad-mouthed a pal.

“One time, someone made a wisecrack about me, and Jimmy took him to the ground,” says Soffer.

But while Caan “played a criminal” in The Godfather and “liked to act that way in real life,” Soffer says “he was a good guy who was a friend when he said he was a friend.”

“In fact, Jimmy was always a straight-up guy,” he adds.

Case in point? Caan once appeared on The Tonight Show and said during the broadcast, ” ‘I owe all I have to Don Soffer, who flew me here on his plane,’ ” remembers Soffer.

“Before [host Johnny] Carson stopped him, he tried to sell apartments in my Turnberry Isle development to members of the audience because he was my friend,” he adds of Caan. “He never stopped being loyal.”

TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 14: Actor James Caan from “Henry’s Crime” poses for a portrait during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival in Guess Portrait Studio at Hyatt Regency Hotel on September 14, 2010 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images)

A tweet from Caan’s official account Thursday read, “It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6.”

“The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time,” the tweet added.

A cause of death was not made immediately available.

Caan — a prolific actor with 60 years of filmography under his belt, including memorable turns in movies like The Godfather (1972), Misery (1990) and Elf (2003) — is survived by sons Scott, James, Jacob and Alexander, as well as daughter Tara.

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