He was shot five times and killed on the evening of January 26, 1979, in front of his house in Palermo by Leoluca Bagarella, the brother-in-law of Riina.
Francese starb durch fünf Kugeln am Abend des 26. Januar 1979 vor seinem Haus in Palermo, getötet durch Leoluca Bagarella, dem Schwager von Riina.