Johnny Depp's "Blow" Inspiration George Jung Dies At 78

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Former drug smuggler George Jung has passed away.

Notorious cocaine smuggler George Jung, who was portrayed by Johnny Depp in the film Blow, has passed away at the age of 78, TMZ reports. Jung died on Wednesday morning at his home in Boston, MA. Sources close to the situation said that Jung was recently suffering from liver and kidney failure, though they did not confirm the cause of death. He was recently placed in hospice care. The tabloid pub reports that his girlfriend Ronda and friend Roger were with him at the time of his death.

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On Wednesday morning, a statement was released to his official Twitter account confirming his death. "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 tweet reads, pulling a quote from the film Blow.

Dennis Leary, a producer for Blow, paid homage to Jung on Twitter. "The man himself was far more magic than the myth. Truly one of a kind. RIP George Jung. AKA Boston George #ForeverJung," wrote Leary.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1389973177825103882

George Jung, or Boston George as he was infamously known as had his life story adapted into the book Blow: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All and later, the 2001 film starring Johnny Depp. 

RIP George Jung. 

[Via]


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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.