Notorious Drug Kingpin George Jung Dies at Age 87 — Did He See His Daughter Kristina Sunshine Before His Death?

In the 2001 film Blow, Johnny Depp portrays Massachusetts-born drug smuggler George Jung, who spent more than 20 years behind bars before he was released in 2014. 

Since his release from FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, George Jung has been living his best life, but recent reports confirm that George’s journey has come to an end. On May 5, it was revealed that George Jung had died. But what was his cause of death?

According to TMZ, George Jung suffered from kidney and liver failure and ultimately died in his hometown of Weymouth, Mass., while in hospice. George’s official Twitter page confirmed the news of George’s death in a tweet that featured one of the most famous quotes from Blow. 

The tweet read, "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."

Although George was initially apprehensive about Johnny Depp playing his doppelganger in Ted Demme’s Blow, he later praised the actor for his portrayal and hung out with him on more than one occasion. In the past, George has opened up about his life of crime, which he didn’t think was a crime at all. 

He explained in an interview with PBS, “I felt that there was nothing wrong with what I was doing because I was supplying a product to people that wanted it and it was accepted. I mean nobody really was making any negative statements about marijuana.”

George added, “In fact it was being accepted, I think at one time, in the '60s it came close to being legalized. Have a Woodstock where half a million people showed up and everybody smoking marijuana. Where else will get a gather of half a million people where no one was murdered, there was no violence or what have you.”

George Jung’s story will be revisited in the upcoming five-part series Boston George: Fame Without the Fortune, but fans still have questions that need answers from George Jung’s last film. For example, did George Jung ever see his daughter again?

At the end of Blow, viewers learn that George Jung and his daughter (who was played by Emma Roberts in the film) hadn’t spoken in years, but according to reports, that changed before the former drug kingpin’s release from prison. 

While it’s unclear if Kristina Sunshine Jung ever visited her father in prison, photos confirm that the two reconnected when he got out. It appears that George and Kristina reconciled their relationship and were able to spend some quality time together before his death. He wrote on Twitter, "Cant [sic] live without my #heart."

But along with her father’s death, Kristina has also recently experienced another personal tragedy. Her daughter, Athena Karan, was killed at only 19 years old in a car crash earlier this year. Kristina said in a previous interview, “I miss her free spirit and laugh. I ask God to please give me the strength I need to accept my new life without Athena.”

We’re sending our condolences to Kristina and her family during this tragic time.