Joseph Paruta, also known as "Old Man" and "Sammy Gravano's Personal Luca Brasi" (December 3, 1929-October 1986 Brooklyn, New York) was a mobster in the Gambino crime family and considered a "key member" of Sammy Gravano's Bensonhurst, Brooklyn crew. He is the only known mobster who asked for a mercy killing after becoming terminally ill with lung cancer. The proposition was agreed upon but Paruta died before the mercy killing was performed.Paruta was born in Bensonhurst on December 3, 1929 to first generation emigrants from Venice, Italy of a Luccan family from Tuscany. It is unknown if he is a descendant of the 15th-century Venetian historian and statesman Paolo Paruta, although they share the same last name. He was the youngest of four children who grew up in poverty. Paruta was originally an associate who served in the crew of Gambino crime family capo Salvatore Aurello. He served in the Gambino crime family under the tutelage of Carlo Gambino and later Paul Castellano. Sammy Gravano later said, "Everybody called Joe the "Old Man". He was only about fifteen years older than me (Gravano was born on March 12, 1945) but he already had white hair and looked kind of decrepit. He was tough and loyal. Old Man Paruta would kill for me as quick as he would get me a cup of coffee. Over the years, there was nothing I couldn't ask of him." His capo Sammy Gravano would later say that "he was like my own personal Luca Brasi," in reference to the contract killer character from The Godfather. Wikipedia
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