Skip to content
Obituaries

Salvatore Bonanno | Crime figure, author, 75

Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno, 75, the oldest son of the late New York crime chieftain Joe Bonanno and author of a book about growing up in a Mafia family, has died. Los Angeles literary agent Mickey Freiberg said Mr. Bonanno died Tuesday in Tucson, Ariz. The cause of death was a heart attack, said Anthony Tarantola, a nephew of Mr. Bonanno's. Mr. Bonanno wrote Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story in 2000. His Web site describes him as an author, movie producer and lecturer. The book was an attempt to make sense of myths about the Mafia in America, the site says. Mr. Bonanno was a "made" member of the Mafia by his early 20s, according to the site. He was the subject of Gay Talese's book Honor Thy Father and coproduced a 1999 miniseries based on the autobiography of his father, known as "Joe Bananas." In 1968, he was imprisoned on contempt, credit-card fraud, and other white-collar charges, according to his biography. Between then and 1993, he spent 12 years behind bars for several convictions. He spent decades as his father's adviser. The elder Mr. Bonanno died in 2002. - AP

    Inquirer
    Published 

Salvatore "Bill" Bonanno, 75, the oldest son of the late New York crime chieftain Joe Bonanno and author of a book about growing up in a Mafia family, has died.

Los Angeles literary agent Mickey Freiberg said Mr. Bonanno died Tuesday in Tucson, Ariz. The cause of death was a heart attack, said Anthony Tarantola, a nephew of Mr. Bonanno's.

Mr. Bonanno wrote

Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story

in 2000. His Web site describes him as an author, movie producer and lecturer. The book was an attempt to make sense of myths about the Mafia in America, the site says.

Mr. Bonanno was a "made" member of the Mafia by his early 20s, according to the site. He was the subject of Gay Talese's book

Honor Thy Father

and coproduced a 1999 miniseries based on the autobiography of his father, known as "Joe Bananas."

In 1968, he was imprisoned on contempt, credit-card fraud, and other white-collar charges, according to his biography. Between then and 1993, he spent 12 years behind bars for several convictions.

He spent decades as his father's adviser. The elder Mr. Bonanno died in 2002.

- AP

    Inquirer