‘Goodfellas’ inspiration Jimmy Conway’s cause of death, confirmed

After 62 years of Martin Scorsese’s films, we’ve become accustomed to the director’s unique gimmicks and quirks —James Burke.

That’s right — Jimmy “The Gent” Conway from Goodfellas isn’t actually called Jimmy Conway. Robert De Niro’s character in the film is inspired by the real-life gangster James Burke, who is believed to have orchestrated the 1978 Lufthansa heist — one of his many crimes. Burke was convicted in 1982 on charges related to his involvement in the 1978–79 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal, but before he could become eligible for parole, the felon ed away. Here’s how it happened.

How did Jimmy Conway die in real life?

The real-life Jimmy Conway, James Burke, ed away from cancer on April 13, 1996, at the age of 64. By that time, Burke had already been convicted of three felonies: extortion, conspiracy, and second-degree murder — though he was believed to have been involved in many more crimes than those for which he was convicted.

In 1985, after being sentenced to an additional 20 years for the 1979 murder of drug dealer Richard Eaton, Burke would have been eligible for parole in 2004. However, after being diagnosed with cancer, the convicted felon ed away at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, while still serving his sentence at the Wende Correctional Facility. In Goodfellas, we don’t see this fitting ending for Conway, but we do see him finally behind bars — which is just as befitting to a crime lord.