Former Mob Boss John Gotti dies in prison

John Gotti dead

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI
confirms former Gambino crime boss
John Gotti has died at the federal
prison at the U.S. medical center for
federal prisoners in Springfield,
Missouri, where he was being treated
for cancerous lesions on the tongue,
neck and ears. He was 61.

By murdering his way to the top of one of
the nation's most powerful mob families,
Gotti became a legend, respected and
feared by many.

He was the last of the classic gangsters, a
Mafia chief who broke all the rules,
reveled in the public spotlight and, at least
for a while, seemed untouchable with his
multimillion dollar illegal operation that
thrived on prostitution, extortion, gambling, theft and drugs.