Smuggler George Jung, Played by Johnny Depp in ‘Blow,’ Dead at 78

George Jung, who was portrayed by Johnny Depp in the 2001 movie "Blow," has died. He was 78.

A tweet from Jung’s account confirmed the news with the "Blow" movie quote, "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," adding, "1942-2021."

TMZ reports he died Wednesday in hospice care at his home in the Boston area. A cause of death was not given, but according to the site, he had been experiencing liver and kidney failure. His wife Ronda and friend Roger were with him when he died.

The site added that Jung will be cremated.

Jung, known as Boston George, was an infamous American drug smuggler who helped Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel move large amounts of cocaine from Colombia into the U.S. in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He eventually went to prison, serving nearly 20 years. After he was released in 2014, he continued to have trouble with the law over parole violations.

Jung’s story was the subject of the 1993 book "Blow: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All,” which was the basis for the Johnny Depp/Penélope Cruz film.