Notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was found dead in a West Virginia prison at age 89, according to NBC. He was notably portrayed by actor Johnny Depp in the 2015 film Black Mass.
Whitey was serving a life sentence for involvement in 11 murders. This week, he was transferred to a new prison in West Virginia, where he was found.
He was the crime boss of the Winter Hill Gang in Boston, Massachusetts. After decades of organized crime and years on the run, he was arrested in 2011 at the age of 81. He called his time in hiding “the happiest years” of his life.
In 2013, he went on trial for 32 counts of racketeering, money laundering, extortion, and weapons charges, including complicity in 19 murders. He was found guilty on 31 counts and was judged involved in 11 of the murders. He was incarcerated with two life sentences.
In 2015, Johnny portrayed Whitey in the controversial film Black Mass. Some felt it glamorized the life of crime. Whitey himself vowed to never watch it. He allegedly called it “pure fiction.”
“I made a request to meet with Mr. Bulger, and since he was not particularly a great fan of the book…and many of the other books written about him, I got a beautiful response through his attorney that said, ‘Mr. Bulger respectfully declines,’” Johnny revealed while promoting the film.
According to Radaronline.com, the mobster claimed to have suffered multiple heart attacks in prison due to the way he was treated by the guards.
This story is developing…
