If you’ve spent any time down the rabbit hole of true crime documentaries, you know the name. Charles Cosby. He’s the guy who didn't just meet the "Cocaine Godmother" Griselda Blanco—he dated her. While she was in prison. And he lived to tell the tale, which, honestly, is the most impressive part of his resume.
People are constantly asking, is Charles Cosby still alive?
The short answer? Yes. He is very much alive. As of early 2026, Cosby remains a free man, appearing in interviews and occasionally popping up on podcasts to recount the wild years he spent as the right-hand man and lover to one of the most dangerous women in history. He’s essentially a living legend in the "Cocaine Cowboys" lore, mostly because most people who got as close to Griselda as he did ended up at the bottom of the ocean or buried in a shallow grave.
The Man Who Swiped Right on a Kingpin
It sounds like a bad movie plot. A small-time dealer from Oakland sees a news report about a notorious drug lord, becomes infatuated, and starts writing her fan letters. But that’s exactly what Cosby did in 1991. He was 23; she was 51.
He didn't just get a reply; he got a business partner.
Cosby has described their first meeting as "instant chemistry." Think about that for a second. Most people are nervous on a first date. Cosby was meeting a woman responsible for hundreds of murders, and according to him, she leaned in and gave him a kiss that signaled the start of a multi-million dollar partnership. Within 45 days of meeting her, he says he was a millionaire.
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Why Do People Think He’s Dead?
It's a fair question. Griselda Blanco earned the nickname "The Black Widow" for a reason—she had a habit of killing her husbands and lovers. When their relationship soured, things got dark. Fast.
There was the time Griselda found out Cosby was seeing another woman named Amber. Her response wasn't a breakup text. It was a drive-by shooting. Cosby claims a car pulled up next to his Corvette and sprayed it with machine-gun fire. He survived only because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Then there was the final prison visit. Depending on which interview you watch, Cosby describes a scene where Griselda literally tried to strangle him through the bars or across a table. When you’re dealing with that level of "toxic relationship," people naturally assume you didn't make it to old age.
The Survival Factor
So, how is he still walking around in 2026?
- The Legal Collapse: Cosby was subpoenaed to testify against Griselda, but the case famously fell apart due to a phone sex scandal involving the lead witness, hitman Jorge "Rivi" Ayala.
- Strategic Distance: After Griselda was deported to Colombia in 2004, Cosby kept a relatively low profile until the 2008 documentary Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin' With the Godmother.
- No "Street" Beefs: Unlike the guys fighting for turf in Miami, Cosby’s drama was mostly internal to the Blanco organization. Once she was gone, the immediate threat to his life dissipated.
Charles Cosby in 2026: Where Is He Now?
Cosby hasn't faded into total obscurity. If anything, the 2024 Netflix series Griselda (starring Sofia Vergara) gave him a new wave of relevance, even though he wasn't technically a character in that specific show. He’s been vocal about his thoughts on the various adaptations of her life.
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He's recently appeared on platforms like VladTV and Say Cheese, looking healthy and surprisingly relaxed for a man who once had a $40 million drug empire on his shoulders. He talks about his life in a nonchalant, almost grandfatherly way now. It’s jarring. You’re listening to a guy explain how to cook crack on a stovetop or how he narrowly avoided a kidnapping plot involving JFK Jr., and he sounds like he's giving you directions to the nearest Starbucks.
He seems to have transitioned into a sort of "elder statesman" of the era. He’s not out there pushing weight; he’s selling his story. He’s been involved in various media deals and has often mentioned working on his own scripted projects to ensure his version of the story—the one where he isn't just a footnote—gets told correctly.
Setting the Record Straight
There is a lot of misinformation out there. Some people confuse him with the men Griselda actually killed (like Alberto Bravo or Dario Sepulveda).
Cosby is the outlier. He’s the one who walked away.
Honestly, his survival is a bit of a statistical miracle. He wasn't just a boyfriend; he was running her $40 million-a-year business while she was behind bars. He held the keys to the kingdom. Usually, when someone with that much info leaves the circle, they don't get to grow grey hair.
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Is he still in the "game"?
By all accounts, no. Cosby has spent the last two decades focusing on media, storytelling, and staying out of handcuffs. He’s lived through the crack era, the Miami drug wars by proxy, and the wrath of the Godmother. In 2026, his biggest battles seem to be over copyright and how he’s portrayed in Hollywood.
What You Should Know About the "Cocaine Cowboys" Legacy
If you're looking for the "real" Charles Cosby, skip the TikTok summaries. Go back to the source. The Cocaine Cowboys 2 documentary is where he lays it all out. It’s raw, it’s slightly boastful, and it’s the closest you’ll get to understanding the psychology of a guy who chose to love a monster.
Key Takeaways for True Crime Fans:
- Documentary Accuracy: While Cosby is a great storyteller, remember that documentaries often highlight the most sensational parts. He’s a survivor, but he’s also a narrator who knows how to keep an audience engaged.
- The Griselda Connection: His relationship with her ended in the mid-90s. They didn't stay "friends," though he claims she called him after the documentary came out to say she liked it (a claim her son, Michael Corleone Blanco, has disputed).
- Public Appearances: If you see a "Charles Cosby" update on social media today, it’s likely him. He hasn't gone into witness protection. He’s right there in the open.
Cosby remains one of the few people who can provide a first-hand account of the Godmother's softer side—if you can call it that. He saw the mother, the lover, and the prisoner, not just the killer. That perspective is why people are still Googling him thirty years later.
If you want to stay updated on his current projects, his recent long-form interviews are the best place to start. They offer a much deeper look into how he managed to pivot from the streets of Oakland to the heights of the drug trade and back to a civilian life. It's a masterclass in survival, regardless of how you feel about his past.
Next Steps for Research:
- Watch the full VladTV interview series with Charles Cosby for his most recent comments on the Netflix Griselda series.
- Compare his accounts in Cocaine Cowboys 2 with the autobiography written by Michael Corleone Blanco to see where the stories diverge.
- Look into the Rakontur archives for behind-the-scenes footage that didn't make the final cut of the documentaries.