The former drug kingpin from Harlem whose life became the foundation for American Gangster's 2007 movie has died. Frank Lucas was eighty-eight.
His nephew Aldwan Lassiter says Lucas died in New Jersey on Thursday, where he had been living for years.
Before being convicted in 1975, Lucas became a major heroin dealer and was sentenced to decades in prison. After about five years, he turned informant and was released.
His story inspired the American Gangster directed by Ridley Scott, who starred as Lucas at Denzel Washington.
The movie got awards buzz but also scrutinized dubious claims in the legend of Lucas, especially a portrayal of him smuggling drugs in the caskets of U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War.
As for the unquestioned role of Lucas in supplying powerful heroin, in 2007 he said that he regretted doing "some awful things."
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