Born April 28, 1906, Accardo became prominent in the mob during Al Capone's reign. He served for a time as Capone's bodyguard. In 1931, Accardo was named as a suspect in the killing of Capone rival Joe Aiello. (Some say he might also have been among the gunmen in the earlier St. Valentine's Day Massacre.)

Upon Capone's imprisonment for tax evasion, Accardo remained close to new boss Frank Nitti and took the reins of the Outfit in 1943 or 1944. He helped guide the Chicago family into gambling ventures, entertainment industry rackets and trucking.

Accardo allowed Sam Giancana to take over day-to-day mob operations in 1956. That was later viewed as a mistake. Giancana apparently aided the Kennedy Presidential campaign, which resulted in Attorney General Robert Kennedy's assault on the mob.

Accardo remained influential in the Family and returned to a visible leadership role when Giancana fled the country in 1966. Accardo remained at the helm when Giancana returned to Chicago in 1974. Giancana was shot to death a year later.

Accardo retired in the 1980s to Palm Springs, Calif., and died May 27, 1992.

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