I fail to understand how a psycho who murders, rapes and otherwise fcksup every business and personal relationship he is involved in continues to have friends and business partners.
Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense.
A lot of it was family-related, even if not ALL by blood, but by the code of organized crime.
Not to mention, the guy was a true psycho, and was both effective and scary, so that may have helped in some "business" situations.
Though I do feel he could have been taken out pretty easily, especially considering how he really does go out eventually. But by then, he was at his wit's end, and didn't have anything too clever left. He was much more formidable in his younger years.
Well, at the end, he knew he was gonna die either way, which is why he was gonna tell Jimmy about everything that happened w/ Maggie. He expected to die at the bar the night Little Jimmy was killed. If Jimmy didn't kill him the Turks or Ozzy would've.