Catalanotte was recognized as a highly intelligent and capable mafiosi early in his criminal career and by his late teens he was a standout within the Italian underworld. By his early 20s his diplomacy earned him the respect of allies and foes alike, later after becoming the undisputed Mafia boss of Detroit in his mid 20s his charitable donations within the Italian community earned him the love of the local immigrants. Soon after Gaspar Milazzo arrived on the Detroit underworld scene in 1921 he began to assist Catalanotte with the continued unification and leadership of the local Mafia. With Catalonotte's death of pneumonia in February 1930 at the age of 36, Milazzo maintained his position as a high-ranking member of the Detroit Mafia and continued to oversee the peace between the local Mafia factions.