Gianni Russo, the actor best known for playing Carlo Rizzi in the classic film The Godfather, has made some shocking allegations about the deaths of two American icons – Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy.
In a new tell-all memoir titled Hollywood Godfather, and in recent interviews promoting the book, the 75-year-old Russo has asserted that he knows the real story behind these high-profile tragedies.
According to Russo, who claims to have had an affair with Monroe starting when he was just 16 and she was 33, the actress did not die of a drug overdose as officially reported.
Instead, he alleges she was murdered by none other than Robert Kennedy, the brother of President John F. Kennedy.
Russo says that the Kennedy brothers were both romantically involved with Monroe and the mob was planning to use this to blackmail them.
Russo recounts that in August 1962, just days before her death, Monroe was at the Cal Neva Lodge in Nevada with Frank Sinatra and mob boss Sam Giancana.
The mobsters allegedly intended to secretly film Monroe having a 3 some with JFK and RFK, then use the footage to pressure JFK into invading Cuba and returning control of the island’s casinos to the mafia.
However, when Monroe learned of this plot, she threatened to go public.
Fearing the scandal this would create, RFK then allegedly had her killed to keep her quiet.
Russo claims a mob-connected doctor murdered Monroe by purposely causing an embolism, staging it to look like an overdose.
Even more shockingly, Russo asserts that Monroe’s death could have been prevented if her ex-husband Joe DiMaggio had come to her aid.
Russo says that just before her murder, a distressed Monroe called DiMaggio pleading with him to come get her, but the baseball legend refused, sealing her fate.
“Marilyn Monroe might still be alive today had he come to pick her up that night,” Russo stated.
In addition to these explosive allegations about Monroe’s death, Russo also claims to know the truth about who really killed JFK.
While Lee Harvey Oswald is the assassin of record, Russo insists it was actually mobster Johnny Roselli who fired the fatal shot from a storm drain near the President’s motorcade.
Russo alleges that the mafia orchestrated the hit in retaliation for RFK’s crackdown on organized crime.
Russo says he had inside knowledge of the mob’s activities due to his close ties from a young age with notorious crime bosses like Frank Costello and Sam Giancana.
However, he maintains he was never a “made man” himself.
“I was always on the periphery, I never wanted to join that club,” Russo explained.
While Russo’s shocking claims are likely to be met with great skepticism, he insists his account has been validated by the CIA and FBI, who he says told him “the only person that’s gotten this right is Gianni Russo the actor.”
Only time will tell if any of his allegations can be corroborated.
In the meantime, they provide a sensational new perspective on some of the 20th century’s most famous unsolved mysteries.
Despite the bombshell nature of his assertions, Russo says he’s not concerned about any potential mob retaliation for spilling these supposed secrets.
“There’s nobody around anymore,” he said with a laugh.
Over half a century later, Russo seems to believe the truth can finally be told about what really happened to Marilyn Monroe and JFK.
But as with so many salacious accounts from Hollywood, separating fact from fiction may prove an impossible task.
