He once was a notorious, merciless mobster who helped take down John Gotti's crime empire in New York City. But now, the 76-year-old bald grandpa has regrets about the life he once lived and the people he killed.
Salvatore 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano was a high-ranking mafioso who arranged and carried out murders for Gotti in the 1980s before secretly partnering with the FBI in 1991 and helping bring down 39 mobsters - including Gotti, head of the Gambino crime family.
He throughout his career admitted to killing 19 people - including his best friend - as his victims' families bemoaned a lack of justice.
'Is there anything that I feel I regret and that I would do differently? Of course,' Gravano told ABC News in an exclusive interview for 'Truth and Lies: The Last Gangster,' which premiers Thursday night.
'Being a gangster, actually in my life, was a curse. And it did affect my family.'
His daughter, Karen Gravano, told the network that her father's mafia betrayal 'stabbed me in the heart.'
Gravano, an underboss in the Gambino family, was once the highest-ranking member of New York's Five Families - Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese - to ever 'flip.' He even testified in court against Gotti.
The so-called 'five families' represented New York City's top Italian-American mafia groups.
Notorious mobster Salvatore 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano (left) in the 1980s arranged and carried out murders for crime boss John Gotti (right). They're pictured leaving the Ravenite Social Club on Mulberry Street in New York City's Little Italy in March or April 1990
Gravano is now 76, and says he has regrets his career choice, calling the mafia 'a curse'
His daughter Karen Gravano said she her father tried to shield her from his mafia lifestyle
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In exchange for acting as a government informant, Gravano was given a five-year sentence in 1994, but released after one year later because of time previously served.
He entered the witness protection system in Arizona following his release but, a year later, he asked to be removed, so he could give interviews and write his 1997 book, Underboss.
Reflecting on his colorful life, Gravano shared how friendly business partnerships could end with the pull of a trigger the moment things turned sour.
'They could hug you, they could kiss you, they could smile,' he said. 'And they could shoot you in the f***ing head.
'This is true side of the mafia. This isn't somebody talking about the mafia. I am part of it.'
Gravano said he tried to shield his bloodthirsty and ruthless day job from his wife and children.
'What do you want me to do? Come home, sit down at the table and say, "Hey, you know who I killed today? Joe Blow. You won't see him no more."'
He laughed, adding: 'I lived a double life. I lived a family life, and I'm a gangster.'
Gravano (pictured today) tried to shield his bloodthirsty career from his wife and two children
Gravano, an underboss in the Gambino family, was once the highest-ranking member of New York's Five Families to ever 'flip', and he testified in court against Gotti, pictured in Brooklyn, New York in 1990
During the two-hour special, Karen Gravano detailed how she gradually discovered her father was a gangster after the family moved into a new
