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Henry Hill

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Henry Hill
FBI photo taken in 1980
Born
Henry John Hill

June 11, 1943
Brooklyn, New York City, United States
DiedJune 12, 2012 (aged 69)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Cause of deathNatural causes
OccupationBusinessman

Henry John Hill Jr (June 11, 1943 - June 12, 2012)[1] was an American mafioso.[2] He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City.[2] His mother was Sicilian and his father was Irish.[3] Hill was a member of the Mafia from 1955 until he went into the Witness Protection Program in 1980. He later left the Program.[1][3] He was a violent robber, extortionist and drug dealer. He was a compulsive gambler and drug addict[1][3] who served prison sentences. He married Karen (née Friedman) in 1965. The couple had a son and daughter and divorced in 2002.[1] Hill died in hospital in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, aged 69.[1] Hill's children survive him.[1]

Hill's life was the basis of Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy. This was later used as the basis for movie Goodfellas, in which Ray Liotta played Hill.[3]

References

[change | change source]
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Telegraph obituary
  2. 2.0 2.1 Biography.com
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Henry Hill dead at 69". Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2012-06-13.