Collectively, these results show that (−)-gossypol induces a caspase-dependent apoptotic type of cell death in parental bladder cancer cells which is partially inhibited in chemoresistant cells expressing higher levels of anti-apoptotic and lower levels of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members and also exhibiting markers of enhanced basal autophagy. Here, BCL2 is linked to urinary bladder cancer.