LONDON - The British gangster Reggie Kray, last of the notorious three brothers whose name inspired fear, respect and fawning in equal measure, yesterday died peacefully in his sleep.
His death in a four-poster bed in the honeymoon suite of the Town House Hotel, at Thorpe St Andrew, near Norwich, brought
to an end a chapter in British criminal history that was as much based on myth as fact. He had apparently been listening to Music to Watch Girls By - a CD of hits from the 1950s and 1960s - before falling asleep.
Kray, aged 66, who was suffering from inoperable bladder cancer, was released from prison on compassionate grounds by the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, in August.
He had served 32 years after being jailed for life in 1969 for the murder of Jack "The Hat" McVitie. It is likely he will be buried at London's Chingford Mount cemetery alongside his brothers Ronnie and Charlie who, respectively, died in 1995 and last April. Yesterday, Kray's solicitor, Mark Goldstein, said his wife, Roberta, and a small circle of friends were at his bedside.
Reggie's contribution to the Kray myth is published today in the form of his autobiography A Way of Life. Goldstein said Kray had seen an advance copy and was happy with it. In it, Kray writes: "Young kids should remember that prison is not a glamorous place. Take a tip from me and look for a career other than crime."
- INDEPENDENT
