Frank Funzi Tieri became the Boss of Bosses among New York's five crime families following the death of Carlo Gambino in 1976. Tieri was involved in gambling and loan sharking to a large extent. He was saved from serving a prison term of nearly a decade when he died of colon cancer in 1981. Funzi may have been the model for Mario Puzo Godfather character Vito Corleone. He was admired for his debonnaire dress, his Mafia mannerisms and willingness to share profits with lower ranking soldiers in the Genovese crime syndicate.
