Ronnie Biggs dead...., by misterx on Dec 18, 2013 10:55:50 GMT 1, "Ronnie Biggs, a carpenter and petty crook who became an international celebrity for his role in one of Britain’s most famous crimes, the Great Train Robbery of 1963, and for the decades he spent afterward eluding a worldwide manhunt by Scotland Yard, died on Wednesday in London, according to his publicists. He was 84.
No cause of death was given.

“Sadly we lost Ron during the night. As always, his timing was perfect to the end. Keep him and his family in your thoughts,” his publicists announced in a Twitter feed.

Imprisoned in England since he returned there voluntarily in 2001, Mr. Biggs was granted compassionate release for health reasons in August 2009 by Jack Straw, the British justice secretary at the time.

The decision was a highly public reversal by Mr. Straw, who earlier had denied Mr. Biggs’s application, saying he had shown no remorse for the crime, in which 15 men robbed a Glasgow-to-London mail train of more than $7 million in bank notes. The train’s driver was seriously injured.

Mr. Biggs, who had had several strokes and other health problems in recent years, had been serving what remained of his 30-year sentence — and a great deal of it did — in Norwich Prison, in eastern England.

At the time of his death. the Press Association news agency reported, Mr. Biggs had been living at a nursing home in the East Barnet neighborhood of north London after suffering several strokes. His last public appearance was in March, when he attended the funeral of Bruce Reynolds, a fellow train robber."

To me, it was always Ronnie Biggs and the Pistols, but if you ever went to Rio in the 90's you might also remember Franks Bar, where RB would often drink and incidentally where he met his wife, who fathered his child, thus preventing his extradition back to the UK.

For a fee you could go up to Ronnies house up on the hills and have lunch/ pics etc.. He even had "I Met Ronnie In Rio" T's and mugs for sale. I always wanted to go, but never did. Wanted a T shirt too.