Gerard was 36 when he was murdered by rival members of the Colombo crime family. Gerard was known to the police and criminal associates as an ice-cold killer. He was known as "Pappa Bear" to his wife and mistresses because of his "teddy bear" nature he displayed when in their presence or simply "Pap" to his criminal associates. He was the son of first generation emigrants from Rocca di Papa, Italy in Bensonhurst where Salvatore Gravano, Anthony Casso and Frank DeCicco were all born and raised. Pappa had stick straight jet-black hair, steady blue-grey eyes, and a severe high cheekboned, triangle-shaped face. His last name "Pappa" in Italian stands for "Pope" because documents dating from the twelfth century state his parent's village as Rocca di Papa which stands for Castrum Rocce de Papa (