Crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger dead at 89, reportedly killed by inmate with 'Mafia ties'

Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger died shortly after he was transferred to a West Virginia prison, a spokeswoman for District Attorney William J. Powell confirmed to The Boston Globe on Tuesday.

Bulger, 89, ran a massive crime ring and served as an FBI informant in the 1970s and 1980s. After more than 16 years on the run, Bulger was arrested in 2011 and charged with 11 counts of murder, extortion, and other crimes in 2013. He was serving two life sentences in a Florida prison before he was transferred to Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia on Monday, reports the Globe.

Bulger's health was apparently failing right before his move, and he was expected to be placed in a federal prison medical facility. A union official confirmed to West Virginia News earlier that someone had been killed at the prison overnight, but did not reveal the man's identity. Sources subsequently told NBC News the man was Bulger, though his brother told the Globe he hadn't been notified of Bulger's death.

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A "fellow inmate with Mafia ties" is being investigated in the death, three anonymous sources tell the Globe. The West Virginia District Attorney's Office confirmed there would be an investigation into Bulger's death but did not comment further. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has not responded to a request for comment, and Bulger's former defense attorney declined to comment to the Globe. Read more about Bulger's life at The Boston Globe.