What Happened to Al Capone’s Family After His Death?
When infamous gangster Al Capone died in 1947, his family was left with big questions to answer and a legacy to bear with. Al Capone was an infamous American gangster and crime boss who rose to power in the 1920s with his gang, the Chicago Outfit. He was also known for his extravagant lifestyle, flouting of the law and for his role in the deaths of many people. With his death, the family of Al Capone were thrust into a unique situation – the consequences of living with a criminal for a father. Here’s an overview of what happened to Al Capone’s family after he passed away.
A Legacy Of Crime And Infamy
It was no secret that Al Capone’s family had ties to the criminal underworld when he passed away. Capone was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in a household of Italian immigrants, but his father had made a name for himself in the local gangster circles. While Capone had gone on to make his fame and fortune by taking control of the Chicago Outfit, his family members were also enmeshed in the network of crime and infamy he had forged. True to the legacy of their father, some of his children and grandchildren were later linked to organized crime.
Dealing With The Financial Consequences
When Al Capone died, he left behind a fortune of an estimated $100 million. Yet, the vast majority of this money evaporated with his death. Due to the high-profile nature of Capone’s affairs and activities, the government was nipping at his heels and had gone to great lengths to try to track down his assets and have them seized. After Al Capone died, the government was successful in holding onto a large portion of his estate, leaving his family with next to nothing.
Struggling To Move On
The Al Capone family was left with more than just financial problems after his death. They were also forced to deal with the negative stigma of having been related to the world’s most notorious gangster. As a result, most of them sought to make a fresh start by changing their last name or avoiding the spotlight altogether.
Mae Capone, Al’s wife, chose to change her last name to Coughlin after his death and began to lead a quiet and private life. She also served as Al Capone’s spokeswoman throughout his trial and imprisonment, in an attempt to both protect his name and to place him in the best possible light.
Son Ralph Capone also changed his name to Ralph Cascone so as to avoid being associated with his infamous father. While his immediate family adopted the Cascone name, some of his children went even further and changed their surname to Brown.
The Fate Of Al’s Descendants
Despite their struggles to move on, the name “Capone” lives on to this day in the Al Capone family. Al’s grandson, also named Al, has embraced his name and legacy. Since 2002, he has been running a website dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Al Capone. His website provides fans of the crime boss with information, memorabilia, and even a bed and breakfast in Florida owned by the Capone family.
Another of Al Capone’s grandchildren, Arthur Nicoletti, is a professional chef who works at Illinois and Arizona State University. Even though he does not publicly discuss his grandparent’s criminal past, he still holds the Capone name in high esteem.
There’s no doubt that the family of Al Capone endured a lot after his death. They were forced to bear the stigma of being associated with such an infamous criminal, as well as to deal with the financial consequences of his activities. However, many of them were also successful in creating new lives for themselves and a few of them even embraced their grandfather’s legacy. Al Capone may have been the most notorious gangster of his time, but his family’s story will live on for decades to come.
