Who Was Mae Capone, aka Mae Coughlin?

We all have heard the famous saying that behind every great man, there is a woman. The same case applies to Alphonse Gabriel Capone, commonly known as AI Capone or Scarface.

AI Capone was a vicious mafia don in the early nineties. His gangster era is documented in many newspapers, movies, articles, etc.

The life story of Scarface was told and retold in various literary works. One of the significant chapters of his life was his love life and marriage with Mae Capone.

Mary Josephine Coughlin is generally referred to as Mae Capone or Mae Coughlin. She supported her husband in the ups and downs of his life.

Her unconditional love for her husband influenced the character of the mafia boss. She was not just a romantic partner but also a partner in crime.

Keep reading this article to discover how young and innocent Mae Capone became part of AI Capone’s life. How did they meet, and how did she lead her life after the end of his era? So, let’s dig deep!

Early Life of Wife of Al Capone

Mae Capone was the epitome of loyalty and showcased true love for her husband, AI Capone. Mary Josephine Capone, aka Mae, was born in New York in 1897. 

Her parents, Bridget Gorman and Michael Coughlin, resided in Brooklyn after migrating from Ireland and married there.

Together, they had six children, and Mary was one of the brightest of them all. She was an avid student and displayed keen intellect.

She was orphaned at the age of sixteen. She was forced to abandon her studies after the death of her father. Mae joined a factory as a sales clerk to keep bread and butter running for her family.

At that time, everyone looked at her with pity, and no one knew her future was bright and gold, as she would become the life partner of crime boss AI Capone.

Mae Meets Al Capone

The start of the romance is ambiguous and unclear. Some say that the meeting between Mary and AI Capone was planned by the mother of mafia boss AI, while others say they had their first meeting at the party where they fell in love.

Mae was Irish, and AI was Italian. Mae was a simple girl; AI was part of a gangster group. Despite all these differences, their love blossomed, and they became deeply infatuated.

According to reports, Mae Capone and AI Capone had a year’s age gap, and Mae was superior in age. However, Mae managed to conceal her age in front of others and presented both of them as twenty years old.

Mae’s Marriage with Al Capone 

The love between AI and Mae was no secret, and soon, Mae was pregnant with his child. They decided to get married. They got hitched and entered into matrimony on 30^th December 1918.

Some people say that AI decided to marry Mae to enhance his social reputation because Mae was an accomplished catholic woman with better academic credentials than him.

Despite the rivalry between Italian and Irish communities, no one objected to their marriage. Mae ignored the multiple affairs he had before marriage and became the lady of the mafia.

Mae and Al Capone’s Children

Three weeks earlier from their wedding, Mary Capone delivered their only child. They named their son Albert Francis, who was informally known as Sunny Capone.

She had multiple miscarriages and had a stillbirth. According to reports, Mae never had any other child because she suffered from Syphilis, which she contracted from Al.

They decided to move to Chicago from New York with their son, where they faced many difficulties in their life. He was detained by authorities because of his crimes.

Mae Capone and Her Lifestyle

AI Capone earned enough money from his criminal activities, so Mae Coughlin led a luxurious and comfortable life. The net worth of AI’s income in 1927 was estimated to be near or more than $100 million.

She used to live in big mansions in Chicago and Florida. She was often seen in fancy cars. Her house in Palm Isle, Florida, was lavish and full of extravagant decor.

Her style, including her choice of clothes and jewellery, was expensive and impressive. A large part of these costly jewels was taken away during a robbery at her house.

How Did Al Capone Get Syphilis?

The powerful don of his time, AI Capone, later contracted Syphilis. The disease at that time was very dangerous, with severe symptoms. 

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection, and according to some rumours, he got infected by one of his mistresses at the Brooklyn docks in his early twenties.

He was constrained in his house because of the severe sickness of Syphilis at the end of his life. Mae also contracted the illness as she was AI’s wife, and they had a sexual relationship together.

Mae Stayed Faithful to Al, Even If He Wasn’t

AI Capone was involved with numerous women and had multiple romantic entanglements. Despite his continuous cheating and infidelity, Mae stayed faithful and never cheated him.

She tried to dress like his mistress and, once she died, her hair silver to look like one of his girlfriends. She was heartbroken but never left her partner and stayed by his side always.

On one occasion, she told her son to become a better person and not try to copy his father. She said to Sunny Capone: “Don’t do as your father did; he broke my heart.”

Mae and AI Capone Activities in Chicago

Mae and AI Capone relocated from Brooklyn to Chicago at the start of the 1920’s decade. AI appeared as a powerful mafia in Chicago after the murder of Big Jim Colosimo. 

AI was involved in multiple crimes, including murders, selling illegal arms and alcohol, etc. Authorities and police were after AI because of his shady character.

He always found a way to escape the situation because they never found any witnesses or strong evidence against him.

Mae knew all his criminal activities but stood by her husband like a loyal wife. She enjoyed the luxurious lifestyle she was able to afford because of the money his husband was bringing. 

However, AI was sentenced to eleven years in jail in 1931. He was charged with tax evasion, and he was also caught with a hidden, unregistered gun. The end of a mafia boss started from this point.

Mae Capone Visited Al at Alcatraz 

AI was taken to the Alcatraz Island prison after his detention, and Mae visited him there several times. 

AI was very ill by that time and was showing severe syphilis symptoms. She was often photographed by paparazzi and media persons visiting the prison and AI’s lawyer’s office.

She was questioned about the sickness of AI Capone, but she always replied positively with answers like: “He is going to be fine soon.” 

Amidst her sorrow and heartbreak, she once answered the press, stating: “He is suffering from dejection and a broken spirit, aggravated by intense nervousness.”

Mae Capone Cared for Al Capone in His Final Years

AI Capone spent seven years in prison and was released after that because Syphilis ate his brain, and his mental capacity was equal to that of a child in his last years.

Mae took care of AI with all her heart and protected him from the media and press, who used to chase to get a photograph of a man who once used great power.

AI, aka Scarface, used to have hallucinations. He used to talk with dead people about days when he was an influential figure.

Mae Kept her family away from the media. She even sued a production house that made “The Untouchables” because of the resemblances between AI’s life story and the show.

AI Capone’s Death

AI Capone was infected with the last stages of Syphilis. He was given medicines and treatment by the best hospitals and doctors. 

He was even given penicillin antibiotic, which was formulated in the 1940s, but his illness and infection had inflicted catastrophic damage to his organs.

He suffered from a heart attack and died in the year 1947, on 25^th January. He was buried in the Mount Carmel Catholic cemetery in Chicago.

Mae Capone’s Death

Mae Capone lived many years after the death of his husband but with grief and sorrow. According to her granddaughters: “Something in her died when he did.”

She died at 89 years of age on 16^th April 1986. She lived her life to the fullest and safeguarded her husband till the end.

Al Capone’s Family Today

With the death of AI Capone and Mae Capone, the gangster era finished. Their son, Sunny Capone, was well-educated and never involved in his father’s criminal activities.

In 1966, Sunny altered his surname and cut his connections with the family’s criminal heritage. He lived his life like a normal person and died in the 85th year of his life on 8^th July 2004.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions are answered below for our followers:

Q1. How Did Mae and Al Capone Meet?

Ans. There are different reports about this matter; according to some, they met at some party, and according to some other reports, she was introduced to AI by his mother.

Q2. Was Al Capone Married?

Ans. AI Capone was married to Mary Coughlin, also referred to as Mae Capone.

Q3. Did Al Capone Have Children?

Ans. AI Capone only had one son named Sunny Capone, who later disassociated himself from his family’s name and changed his name to Albert Francis.

Q4. How Did Al Capone Die?

Ans. AI Capone died of cardiac arrest after many years of illness because of Syphilis.

Conclusion

The life of Mae Capone was always a mystery as she never liked to become part of the limelight. She stood alongside her husband in thick and thin and cared for him like a baby in his days of illness. 

Scarface cheated on her multiple times, but she stayed faithful and fulfilled her role as a wife and as a mother. She will be remembered as a well-dressed, well-spoken woman and strong wife of a mafia boss.