Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria
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Pablo Escobar, born December 1, 1949, built a cocaine empire that made him the seventh richest person in the world by 1989. He served as a Colombian congressman in 1982 before a joint US-Colombian task force targeted him. On December 2, 1993, police shot him dead in Medellín. Series like Narcos 2015 depict his life and death.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Pablo Escobar — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Pablo Escobar by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Pablo Escobar — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
On December 1, 1949, Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born in Rionegro, Medellín, Colombia to Hemilda de los Dolores Gaviria Berrío and Abel de Jesús Escobar Echeverri. He grew up with siblings Roberto Escobar and Luz María Escobar. His early years in the Medellín region laid the groundwork for his future criminal enterprise.
In 1978, Escobar began his political career as a substitute city council member in Medellín. By 1982, he won election to the Colombian Congress, gaining judicial immunity and a diplomatic visa. His primary enterprise was the Medellín Cartel, which by the mid-1980s generated so much wealth that Forbes listed him as the seventh richest person in the world in 1989. His criminal activities led to a joint US-Colombian task force tracking him down. On December 2, 1993, police killed him in Medellín after a joint US-Colombian task force traced a phone call he was making.
Escobar married María Isabel Santos in March 1976, when she was 15 years old, after obtaining a special dispensation from the local bishop. The couple had two children: son Juan Pablo Escobar Henao also known as Sebastian Marroquín and daughter Manuela Escobar. He also had a girlfriend, Virginia Vallejo.
Numerous documentaries and dramatizations cover Escobar’s life and death, most notably the Netflix series Narcos 2015, which uses archive footage of him. His son, Sebastian Marroquín, has written about his father’s legacy. Despite his violent end, Escobar remains a controversial figure in Colombian history, remembered for his immense wealth and ruthless tactics.
Browse the complete filmography of Pablo Escobar — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Pablo Escobar's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Pablo Escobar — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I’m a Decent Man Who Exports Flowers.
Life Is Full of Surprises, Some Good, Some Not so Good.
There Are 200 Million Idiots, Manipulated by a Million Intelligent Men.
Sometimes I Feel Like God . . . When I Order Someone Killed They Die the Same Day.
Only Those Who Went Hungry with Me and Stood by Me When I Went Through a Bad Time at Some Point in Life Will Eat at My Table.
Everyone Has a Price, the Important Thing Is to Find Out What It Is.
There Can Only Be One King.
I Can Replace Things, but I Could Never Replace My Wife and Kids.
All Empires Are Created of Blood and Fire.
I Prefer to Be in the Grave in Colombia Than in a Jail Cell in the United States.
Little-known facts about Pablo Escobar — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
By the mid-1980s, Escobar owned 19 residences in Medellín alone, each with a helipad, and millions were buried due to the difficulty of investing such vast sums.
Tracked down by a joint US-Colombian task force, Escobar was spotted talking on a telephone by an officer who was tracing the call. Police burst into the house, killed his bodyguards, and Escobar was shot dead on the roof. Afterward, officers trimmed his mustache and beard to resemble Adolf Hitler and posed for photos with his body.
Forbes listed him as the seventh richest man in the world in 1989.
Like most cocaine traffickers, Escobar rarely used the drug himself; his lifelong recreational drug of choice was marijuana.
He married his wife when she was 15, obtaining a special dispensation from the local bishop.
In 1978, he was elected as a substitute city council member in Medellín. In 1982, he was elected to Congress, granting him judicial immunity and a diplomatic visa.
His girlfriend was Virginia Vallejo.
He was a nephew of Luzmila Gaviria.
His brother Roberto Escobar authored Escobar – Drugs. Guns. Money. Power 2009.
His son Juan Pablo Escobar Henao, also known as Sebastian Marroquín, is a Colombian architect and author.
His daughter Manuela Escobar is a Colombian businesswoman, homemaker, and controversial personality.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Pablo Escobar.
