Gerard O'Neill, Reporter And Author Of 'Black Mass,' Has Died

Gerard O'Neill, The Boston Globe investigative reporter who helped expose gangster James "Whitey" Bulger as an FBI informant, has died.

The Globe reports the former Spotlight Team editor died Thursday in his Boston home. He was 76.

O'Neill was a founding member of the investigative team. He helped it win a 1972 Pulitzer Prize for exposing widespread public corruption in Somerville, Massachusetts. O'Neill also led the team when it was named a Pulitzer finalist for investigative reporting in 1997.

"Black Mass," the book he co-wrote about Bulger in 2000, was the basis of the 2015 movie of the same name, which starred Johnny Depp as the notorious mobster.

O'Neill is survived by his wife, two grown sons, two grandchildren, and a sister. His funeral is Tuesday in Needham.