Notorious Boston mobster Whitey Bulger dead at 89

Notorious gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, seen here in a 2011 mugshot, has been found dead at a West Virginia prison. [File, AFP]

Notorious Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger was found dead on Tuesday at a prison in West Virginia, one day after he was transferred to the high-security facility to serve the remainder of two life sentences for a string of brutal crimes, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said.

According to press reports, Bulger, 89, who spent years on the run as one of America's most-wanted fugitives, was murdered but there was no immediate confirmation from the authorities.