The History of Sonny Corinthos:

Background

Michael (Sonny) Corinthos, Jr. was the only child of Michael and Adela Corinthos. They lived in Brooklyn, NY, in the neighborhood of Bensonhurst. Michael Sr. was of Greek and Irish decent, and was a Vietnam veteran. Adela was a Cuban refugee whose family fled Cuba during the revolution. She was also devoutly Catholic, and Sonny attended Catholic schools and church with his mother every Sunday. Mike couldn't handle the pressures of supporting a family, which was made that much more difficult by his gambling addiction. He abandoned Adela and Michael Jr. when his son was about 4 or 5 years old. He did come back periodically over the next several years, but never stayed around for long. Mike did teach Sonny to swim, and he would take him to Coney Island and to baseball games. Usually, he would spend a few days or a week, and then take whatever money Adela had saved and leave. One time, Mike even took Sonny's new bicycle (a present from his maternal grandparents) and hocked it for money to pay off a loan shark. Finally, when Sonny was eight years old, Adela decided to marry another man. Her husband was Timothy Deacon (Deke) Woods, a Brooklyn police officer, and a very cruel man. (Note: It is unclear at what point Michael Jr. became “Sonny.” We think it happened soon after his father left.)

Sonny and his mother Adela had always been close, but her new husband began tearing them apart. Three weeks into the marriage, he began beating Adela. Sonny decided to distract him by acting out, thus taking the man's rage onto himself. Deke used to lock Sonny in a closet while he got drunk, and then he would open the door and beat the boy. These events resulted in Sonny's claustrophobia, which he still struggles with today. Sonny never told anyone what was going on, but most likely his neighbors, the Cerullo family knew. Louis Cerullo was Sonny's best friend, and his little sister Lois had a crush on Sonny. Lois once saw Sonny's bruises, and he made her promise not to tell anyone. Gloria and Carmine Cerullo often “adopted” Sonny as a member of their own family, in an effort to give the boy some peace from his horrific family life. As Sonny became a teenager, he began fighting back against Deke. Finally, when he was 16, he knocked the man out. His mother, frantic that Deke and Sonny would kill each other, pleaded with her son to leave home. Sonny agreed, and went out on his own. Sonny has only spoken a couple of times about how this affected him, and although he speaks reverently about his mother, it is clear that he felt rejected by her as well.

Sonny was out on the streets, surviving by any means necessary. One day, he was caught stealing a Manhattan mobster's red Thunderbird. Instead of punishing the young man, Joe Scully took Sonny in. He gave him a home and a job. Sonny worked for Joe and learned all about the mob underworld. He decided it was the world that would give him security and power, so that he'd never be a victim again. He began working his way up the ranks. He occasionally visited his mother when he knew Deke would be on duty and not home. When he was 18, he went to take her out on her birthday. He found her severely beaten and unconscious on the kitchen floor. He took her to the hospital where she made him promised not to kill Deke. Returning home to Manhattan, Sonny told Joe all about his mother and Deke. The next night, Officer Deke Woods was found dead in an alley, shot once in the head and once in the heart; marked as a dirty cop. Sonny was very grateful to Joe, although Joe never actually told Sonny he was responsible for Deke's murder. Sonny carried what Joe had done for him as debt for life. With a clear conscious, Sonny went to Deke's funeral and assured his mother that he had not killed her husband. Adela did not survive Deke by long. Within a few more years she was dead; the numerous beatings had taken a terrible toll on her small body.

Sonny saw his father Mike soon after Adela had died at the Belmont Race Track. He didn't immediately recognize his father, but was then quick to tell him that his mother was dead. Knowing his father was a gambling addict and probably down on his luck, the young, well-off mobster gave his father a “C-note,” and then walked away. Mike and Sonny would be reunited years later in Port Charles, where Sonny would be far less than happy to see his old man.

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