Diksha Sundriyal
2015’s ‘Black Mass’ paints a dark portrait of James “Whitey” Bulger, who became one of the most infamous criminal figures of his time. The film charts his journey as he is recruited as an informant by FBI agent John Connolly, a position he uses to his own advantage. The more powerful he becomes, the easier it gets for him to kill people and get things done his own way. However, in all his ruthlessness and heartless character, there is a point in the story where we see a vulnerable side of him, and it comes out only when he is near his son.
Whitey Bulger Became a Doting Father to a Son He Never Wanted
Being in a life of crime, James “Whitey” Bulger knew that he would do better without having any connections that could be used against him. He didn’t want to be vulnerable, which is why he never wanted to get married or have kids. This is why it was all the more shocking for him to discover that his girlfriend, Lindsey Cyr, was pregnant a year into their relationship. He tried to dissuade Lindsey from carrying on with the pregnancy, explaining to her the nature of his job and why he couldn’t afford to have a child, who would be in considerable danger because of him. However, Lindsey was adamant about having the child, and Whitey had to relent. Still, Lindsey revealed that he told her that he would shoot her if she ever got pregnant again.
While he may not have liked the idea of having a child, he started warming up to it over time. Lindsey described a particular instance when they got caught up in a shoot-out. She was put down on the floor with Whitey on top of her, which is when he felt the baby’s kick and was surprised by it. When the baby was born, Whitey’s doubts about him disappeared entirely, and he turned into a doting father. The child, named Douglas Glenn Cyr, was born on May 22, 1967, at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth and looked a lot like his father.
To ensure his safety, Bulger decided to keep his existence and identity a secret. He didn’t live with Lindsey and Douglas, but he visited them a couple of times a week. According to Lindsey, Whitey would talk to Douglas “about everything, listened to Douglas’ opinions as if he really needed to know.” One time, Douglas went missing while playing in a park in Boston, which caused a lot of tension for his parents. Lindsey said that Whitey whispered to her, “Somebody dies for this.” He was that concerned about the safety of his son. He worried that someone might have hurt the kid due to their enmity with Whitey. Fortunately, nothing of that sort had happened, and Douglas was found by the cops a few hours later.
Douglas Cyr Tragically Died at a Young Age
Douglas Cyr died at the age of 6 on October 8, 1973, due to the complications caused by Reye syndrome. When he got a fever, he was given some medicine (reportedly aspirin) to help control his condition. However, no one knew that he had Reye syndrome, and his situation worsened overnight. A couple of days later, he was declared brain-dead. Lindsey Cyr revealed that it was decided to pull the plug because she didn’t want him to live on life support like that. He has been laid to rest at North Weymouth Cemetery in Weymouth, Norfolk County.
Losing his only son was heartbreaking for Whitey. According to Lindsey, when he was told that Douglas should be removed from life support, he said he couldn’t do it. After Douglas died and his parents walked out of the hospital, Lindsey said that Jimmy said to her that he was “never going to hurt like this again.” She noted that Whitey got colder after his son’s death, and he was never the same again.
Read More: Billy Bulger: Where is Whitey Bulger’s Brother Now?
