CHIN GOES BELLY-UP IN THE 'BURG

Vincent Gigante was better known to those in the loop as "The Chin," and for good reason. His friends might have also tagged him with the nickname "The Nutcase," given Gigante's propensity for acting like a loon, but that would have been rude.

Now the mobster is dead, on ice, kaput. He was 77 when he died at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield. The time was 5:15 a.m. Monday.

Fox News reports:

Dubbed the "Oddfather" for his bizarre behavior, the former Genovese crime family head, an ex-boxer whose lengthy string of victories over prosecutors ended with a July 1997 racketeering conviction, finally admitted his insanity ruse at an April 2003 court hearing.

After nearly a quarter-century of public craziness, Gigante calmly pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for his deception. He then chatted amiably with his son, shook hands with defense lawyers and even laughed at one point.

Until Monday's unexpected early release, Gigante was due to be paroled in June 2010.