Tony Soprano lived

I think the audience is too conditioned on expectation and pay off. They expect Tony to die because it gives them some kind of resolution some kind of climax. But the show constantly has events that mean nothing and that have no climax. And I think that is the point of the ending. Nothing happens. Things just keep happening. Set ups without pay offs. It's all a big nothing.

I think all the "signs" are just red herrings which lead to nowhere. This wouldn't make any sense at all. The fact all these red herrings are there and then nothing happens IS the point. Again, it's all a big nothing.

Let's stick with two things. Number 1) usual tropes with expectation and punchline don't work number 2) only what is shown to happen can be said to happen. Tony DYING is speculation. Tony NOT DYING is not speculation, it's just what we've been shown. He is not dead. Him dying? We never saw that, we would have to infer it from whatever set ups have been made. But again we have established number 1) that usual tropes with expectation and punchline don't work. So you are speculating on the pay off of an event from a bunch of red herrings that wasn't actually shown to happen. What was shown was cut to black. Because the show had to end at some point and the mundanity continues.

No pay off. Nothing. It's all a big nothing.