He was 92 and they say he died peacefully in his sleep this afternoon after being treated for heart and lung problems. Captain Tony Tarracino was a past mayor of Key West, elected in 1989 and he served a two year term. He was known as the owner of Captain Tony's Bar on Greene Street, however he did sell the bar some time ago. He hitched to Key West in 1947 on the run he said, from gambling debts he owed to the New Jersey mob. He claimed he had worked as a gun runner for the Cuban revolution and he was famous for saying "All you need in life is a tremendous sex drive and a great ego. Brains don't mean shit."
Captain Tony, from the defunct Key West Magazine
A new book about his life and exploits has just been published titled "Life Lessons of a Legend" though owing to his final illness Captain Tony was unable to appear at the book signing sessions at the oldest bar in Florida- sessions that spilled out into the street. He was a wildly popular figure in Key West.
