'Goodfellas' inspiration, ex-mobster Henry Hill dies at 69

Henry Hill, the former mobster turned FBI agent who inspired the classic gangland movie “Goodfellas,” died at the age of 69. Henry’s illness has not been disclosed by his doctors. It is reported that he had been indeclining health, for past several years.

Henry Hill, who was potrayed by Ray Liotta in the Oscar winning movie, “Goodfellas: was the member of crime family, Luchese, before ratting out his fellow gangsters and entering the witness protection program.

His long time manager and girl friend, Lisa Caserta, told the reporters that he died at LA’s West Hills Hospital. “He had a heart attack around the 27th of May, and he went into the hospital and it was really touch-and-go for a long time,” She added that he was suffering from bad circulation due to excessive smoking.

Henry was released from witness protection program in 1990, due to series of drug arrests. Talking about his arrest in 2009, Hill expressed, "I've been on every drug humanly possible, and I can't get a handle on alcohol," he said. "I'll go two, two and a half years (sober), and I don't know what triggers me" to start drinking again.

"Maybe it's inherited. But I'm the only one in my family that has this," Hill added. Despites several alcohol counseling’s, Hill never decided to give up on alcohol.

Hill was repeatedly threatened during 1980’s by the other members of his crime family. Hill was tired of the crimes he committed and wanted to escape from that world. But other members were not ready to agree on his terms. Thus he decided to rat them out and enter witness protection program in 1980.

His girl friend, Lisa Caserta shared that during the past two years Henry Hill, developed good relations with his family. But he would constantly talk about how bad he felt about the crimes he had committed during his life.

She also said he “struggled with alcoholism. Caserta said Hill had recently made his peace with his family, but “I don’t think he ever got over his demons. “He would talk about how bad he felt about doing the things that he did.

Meanwhile Caserta recalled that according to Hill, the Goodfellas movie depicted almost 99% accurately of what really happened back then.

Henry was involved in crimes such as the Lufthansa heist at John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1978, during which whooping $5 million as well as $875,000 in jewels were stolen.