Henry Hill

Henry John Hill Jr (June 11, 1943 - June 12, 2012)^[1] was an Irish-American and Italian-American mafioso.^[2] He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City.^[2] His mother was Sicilian and his father was Irish.^[3] Hill was a member of the Mafia from 1955 until he went into the Witness Protection Program in 1980. He later left the Program.^[1][3] He was a violent robber, extortionist and drug dealer. He was a compulsive gambler and drug addict^[1][3] who served prison sentences. He married Karen (née Friedman) in 1965. The couple had a son and daughter and divorced in 2002.^[1] Hill died in hospital in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack, aged 69.^[1] Hill's children survive him.^[1]

Hill's life was the basis of Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy. This was later used as the basis for movie Goodfellas, in which Ray Liotta played Hill.^[3]