How Did John Gotti Die?
Mobsters DailyJohn Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002, aged 61, in the federal prison hospital at Springfield, Missouri, a decade into a life sentence. The Teflon Don, who beat case after case in the 1980s, spent his final years in near-total isolation at Marion and Springfield, and was buried in Queens in a bronze casket reported to cost around $30,000.
From Teflon Don to a life sentence
Gotti seized the Gambino family by ordering the 1985 murder of Paul Castellano, detailed in the Sparks Steak House hit. Acquittals made him a folk hero, but the FBI tapes from the Ravenite Social Club and the testimony of his underboss in the Gravano betrayal story finally convicted him in 1992 of racketeering and five murders, including Castellano's. He received life without parole.
In prison Gotti kept the title of boss and the pressed suits for court, but cancer of the head and neck, first treated in the late 1990s, steadily destroyed the voice that had charmed juries. That is exactly the energy behind the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater — a holiday nod to the boss who ran a crew from a pork store, not a boardroom, and the perfect gift as the season closes in.
His final years and funeral
Transferred to the medical centre at Springfield, he died there in June 2002. The Diocese of Brooklyn refused a public funeral Mass, so his family held a private ceremony; hundreds lined the route in Howard Beach anyway. He was entombed at St. John Cemetery near Lucky Luciano and other bosses — an old neighbourhood of the dead from the Five Families era.
What his death closed
Gotti was the last celebrity boss. After him the Gambinos chose silence, and federal prosecutors, armed with RICO and turncoats, made sure no successor could rebuild his public empire. His death in a prison hospital is the standard ending his mentor Carlo Gambino had somehow avoided.
Frequently asked questions
What cancer did John Gotti die from? Throat cancer — cancer of the head and neck — diagnosed while he was serving life in federal prison.
How long was Gotti in prison before he died? About ten years. Convicted in 1992, he died on June 10, 2002.
Where is John Gotti buried? In a family crypt at St. John Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens.
Keep reading: Sammy Gravano, the hitman who brought down Gotti · Paul Castellano, murdered before Christmas · How the Commission Trial broke the mob
From the shop: Shadows of the Underworld — the real-mafia history behind the bosses, crews and hits in this story.
Join the conversation
Still thinking about this one? That is exactly what The Social Club is for. It is the MobstersDaily Discord, and it is the best Sopranos community on the internet: serious Sopranos talk, meme wars, Friday movie nights, a casino, and an arcade, all run by fans who never stopped rewatching. If you want to be part of the Sopranos community, this is where it lives.
