Parnell Edwards

Parnell Steven “Stacks” Edwards (January 15, 1947-December 18, 1978) was an African-American associate of the Lucchese Crime Family from 1967 until his death in 1978. In the 1990 film entitled Goodfellas, he was performed by Samuel L. Jackson.

Biography

Parnell Edwards was born in 1947 in The Bronx, New York City. His paternal ancestors were from North Carolina and his maternal ancestors were from Virginia. Both had escaped slavery during the 19th century. At one point, he worked as a bodyguard for Muhammad Ali. He met Tommy DeSimone, Jimmy Burke, and Henry Hill in 1967 at the age of twenty. At the time, he was a struggling blues rock musician who was desperate for fame. They introduced him to Paul Vario and he became a member of his crew. He began partaking in illegal activities with them and had already been addicted to marijuana. Parnell Edwards was in a blues rock band called Grand Central Station in the early 1970s. He relied heavily on organized crime rackets as a means of making money, following his introduction to the Vario Crew. Growing up, Parnell Edwards was a very big fan of blues and rock music. His favorite musicians in both childhood and adulthood included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Thin Lizzy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and AC/DC. Parnell Edwards was also a staunch supporter of African-American civil rights and organizations that supported such causes. On December 11, 1978, he partook in the Lufthansa heist as the getaway driver. $5 million was stolen from the JFK Airport. Parnell was killed by Tommy DeSimone a week later.