He died in a medical prison in Springfield , Missouri , on Monday morning , said a spokesman for the facility .
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he die medical prison springfield missouri monday morning say spokesman facility
He died in a medical prison in Springfield , Missouri , on Monday morning , <m> said </m> a spokesman for the facility .
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Last Updated : Tuesday , 20 December 2005 , 10 : 39 GMT
US mafia godfather Gigante dies
One of the most famous mafia godfathers in the US , Vincent "the Chin" Gigante , who spent much of his life avoiding prison , has died in jail , aged 77 .
He was , according to the New York Times , the last great mafioso of the 20th century .
For years , Gigante evaded prison by concocting an elaborate mental illness .
He routinely wandered the streets of New York's Manhattan , shuffling along in slippers and a tattered bathrobe , muttering incoherently .
This bizarre behaviour earned him the title "the Oddfather" , but also helped to keep him out of jail , as a series of juries were convinced that Gigante was indeed insane .
But in 1997 , he was finally convicted of racketeering , and in April 2003 he admitted to a court that his behaviour had been a ruse to stay out of prison .
Heart disease
He died in a medical prison in Springfield , Missouri , on Monday morning , <m> said </m> a spokesman for the facility .
The cause of his death was unknown , although he had had heart disease , the spokesman said .
His death was confirmed by the FBI , whose agents worked for decades to bring him to justice .
He was born in the Bronx in 1928 to Italian immigrants , and given the nickname "Chin" - short for Vincenzo .
The ex - boxer became part of the powerful Genovese mafia family , eventually winning the patronage of ambitious mobster Vito Genovese .
Gigante carried out an attempted hit on the boss of the family , Frank Costello , in 1957 .
The frightened Costello refused to name his attacker in court , and left Genovese to take over the mob .
Mumbling quietly
When the FBI closed in on Gigante , he feigned mental illness to escape conviction for police - bribery in 1970 .
From then on , his act became more elaborate .
Federal agents once found him standing naked in a shower , holding an umbrella .
Relatives - even including his brother , a Roman Catholic priest - insisted he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia , dementia and Alzheimer's disease .
At his trial in 1997 , for conspiracy to murder other organised crime figures , racketeering , and extortion , he sat in a wheelchair , mumbling quietly , apparently unaware of what was going on .
It took the testimony of six turncoat mobsters , and FBI tape recordings in which the so - called Oddfather was heard conversing in a perfectly normal way , to convince the jury of his guilt .
He was jailed for 12 years , but it took until 2003 for the Chin to admit his sham .