Al Capone destroyed himself in the end.

One of the most notorious "Gangsters" of all time Al Capone, was destroyed not by a bullet or prison but by Al Capone.
After receiving an 11 year sentence...

Capone spent the first two years of his incarceration in a federal prison in Atlanta. After he was caught bribing guards, however, Capone was sent to the notorious island prison Alcatraz in 1934. Isolated there from the outside world, he could no longer wield his still considerable influence. Moreover, he began suffering from poor health. Capone had contracted syphilis as a young man, and he now suffered from neurosyphilis, causing dementia. After serving six-and-a-half years, Capone was released in 1939 to a mental hospital in Baltimore, where he remained for three years. His health rapidly declining, Capone lived out his last days in Miami with his wife. He died of cardiac arrest on January 25, 1947.

History Channel

Mr Capone, from a young age, a little known fact had syphilis. Despite syphilis being treatable at the time, Capone refused medical attention on the grounds that he was afraid of needles.
What a way to lose the "Game"
Al's fear of pain which he caused so many others,in the end was His own undoing.

a reply to: DjembeJedi

Capone took the slow route to the grave, but he probably enjoyed himself along the way. I once saw his grave, outside of Chicago in Hillside, Illinois. It's just off a busy street, and at the time, many years ago, it was hidden away by bushes which surrounded it. Capone still carries an iconic name, so now people think of him as a caricature of a living human being, but he made lots of mistakes and the treatment of his illnesses were some of them.

The only thing that gave Capone his "considerable power and influence" as a gangster was prohibition. Before that he was just another hoodlum.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

Every successful business man has to find their Niche! lol Very true he was a booze peddling hoodlum. Same as Drug "kingpins" "Czars" are today. It takes a "LAW" to make something a Criminal Act and a businessman to exploit it.

a reply to: DjembeJedi

These bosses were their own worst enemy.

Capone and Gotti brought themselves down;but in retrospect Capone was lucky (or clever) enough to be pinched for tax evasion, and if he wasn't pinched he probably would've lived out his days before his ailment got the better of him.

The same can't be said for Gotti- his overt nature and his desire to become Capo di tutti capi (boss of all bosses) brought him down in the end.

So who's the better boss? I'm gonna go with Capone.

Capone was a syphilitic criminal. I don't think he should be admired for anything. I hope everyday his ghost has to lick Alcatraz clean with his tongue while being taunted by the people he murdered.

So tired of these people being elevated just because they "lived the high life".

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

Yes, he was a criminal, and did many bad things, but at the same time,
he did many good things, the soup kitchen or free meals came about because of him. Do some research on the depression and gangsters and you may be shocked to see just how much they helped the common man out.
He has done more to help people than many presidents.

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

My mom who grew up during that time said that Capone was well loved by the people. He gave out money to those in need and had a terrible soft spot for kids,giving them ice cream or whatever they were looking at. No one is ever wholly good or evil. It is the summation of our actions that define us.

there's a story I heard about Capone when he was in prison in Eastern State penitentiary, that he was haunted by a guy he murdered.
While Capone was in Eastern State pen, other inmates said they could hear him screaming at somebody named ‘Jimmy’ in his cell to go away and leave him alone. The prisoners assumed he was talking to the ghost of James Clark, a man who he murdered at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929. James Clark was the brother-in-law of Bugs Moran.

That sounds almost as bad as being plagued with the clap.

originally posted by: Dimithae
a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

My mom who grew up during that time said that Capone was well loved by the people. He gave out money to those in need and had a terrible soft spot for kids,giving them ice cream or whatever they were looking at. No one is ever wholly good or evil. It is the summation of our actions that define us.

He also gave Chicago and the area booze haha.
Prohibition made him into the criminal, and he had to do shady stuff to get the product out, I wonder what he would have been like if it never happened.
Prohibition changed the US forever, it was amazing what lengths people went to get their booze.

a reply to: NoCorruptionAllowed

It was probably the neurosyphilis plaguing him.

Perhaps someone should have shown him Blackbeard's penis injector full of mercury ...

What a way to go simply because you couldn't abide a needle.

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

You mean all the other Gangsters & murderers that he had killed?

He didnt go around killing innocent people; and a lot of the time he was going after people who made a move on him first.

He also went out of his way to help people in need.