Notorious cocaine smuggler George Jung, who was portrayed by Johnny Depp in the film Blow, has passed away at the age of 78, TMZ reports. Jung died on Wednesday morning at his home in Boston, MA. Sources close to the situation said that Jung was recently suffering from liver and kidney failure, though they did not confirm the cause of death. He was recently placed in hospice care. The tabloid pub reports that his girlfriend Ronda and friend Roger were with him at the time of his death.
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On Wednesday morning, a statement was released to his official Twitter account confirming his death. “May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face, and the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars. 1942-2021,” the tweet reads, pulling a quote from the film Blow.
Dennis Leary, a producer for Blow, paid homage to Jung on Twitter. “The man himself was far more magic than the myth. Truly one of a kind. RIP George Jung. AKA Boston George #ForeverJung,” wrote Leary.
George Jung, or Boston George as he was infamously known as had his life story adapted into the book Blow: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All and later, the 2001 film starring Johnny Depp.
RIP George Jung.