George Jung, the cocaine smuggler whose life was the inspiration for the film “Blow,” has died. He was 78.
TMZ reports that Jung died in his Boston-area home on Wednesday morning.
According to the outlet, he had been in hospice care since the weekend amid a liver and kidney failure. An official cause of death, however, has not been revealed.
On Wednesday, a post with a quote from the film was shared on Jung’s official Twitter account.
“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 caption read.
Johnny Depp portrayed Jung in the 2001 film "Blow," an adaptation of the 1993 Bruce Porter book about his life titled "Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All." Penelope Cruz, Ray Liotta and Paul Reubens also starred in the film.
Jung was a drug trafficker in the 1970s and 1980s, and a part of the Medellin cartel, which was responsible for up to 90% of cocaine smuggled into the United States.
Also known as "Boston George," Jung served a 20-year jail sentence for smuggling drugs. He was released in 2014, before landing back in jail for a parole violation.
His wife, Ronda, and a friend were with him at the time of death, TMZ reports.
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