What Happened to Harlem Gangster Bumpy Johnson’s Daughter Ruthie?

Are you familiar with the Harlem Gangster, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson? If yes, chances are that you might have been curious to know about their lives and the kind of experiences they have had along the way.

But, when it comes to Bumpy Johnson’s personal life, Ruthie, who was one of his daughters has made the rounds on the internet quite often. She had another sister, Elease, and the two sisters were thrust into the spotlight due to their father.

This article will explore what happened to Ruthie and the reason behind her death, which happened in 2006.

Who was Bumpy Johnson?

Many people who are new to the concept of the Harlem gangster might not be familiar with Bumpy Johnson and the kind of impact he had left on the world.

Born as Ellsworth Raymond Johnson on October 31, 1905, Bumpy Johnson was born to William Johnson and Margaret Moultrie. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, which is where he was raised as well.

However, Bumpy isn’t known for his early life. Instead, he rose to the rides of fame as one of the most notorious crime bosses in Harlem, New York. He dominated the market in the 1930s and had been associated with a plethora of crimes during that period.

Who was Bump Johnson’s Wife?

Despite the reputation and the kind of criminal activities Bumpy ventured into, he was married to his wife Mayme Hatcher Johnson, who was around nine years younger than Bumpy. She was born in North Carolina but later relocated to New York in 1938.

The two of them got married in 1948. It was Bumpy’s wife who decided to pen down his biography following his death to bring the real picture to the table.

Mayme wrote the biography, Harlem Godfather and published it in 2008 but died a year later in 2009 due to respiratory complications.

Who is Ruthie Johnson?

Ruthie is Bumpy Johnson’s daughter. She was not Mayme’s daughter but Ruthie’s mother’s identity has not been disclosed, so there’s no way of knowing who it is.

We also don’t have any insights regarding their date of birth. Bumpy did have another daughter, Elease with his wife Mayme. However, the tragic thing was that both his daughters, Ruthie and Elease died in 2006 due to unknown reasons.

There are rumors that Bumpy’s daughter Please couldn’t handle the repercussions of knowing that her father was a gangster and she reverted to drugs and other narcotics to get through. She was rumored to have stolen items and even shoplifted multiple times as well.

Although we don’t know how Ruthie died, some speculations suggest that Elease died from a heart attack due to an overdose of the drugs she took.

Final Words

Despite the kind of fame that the Harlem Godfather had acquired, there’s not much information about his daughter, Ruthie. The sad news is that Ruthie has passed away and there isn’t a lot of public information about her, which is quite sad to begin with. Everything available in the public records has been shared in detail in this guide.