Ronnie Knight death latest — Barbara Windsor's ex-husband & notorious £6m robber dies aged 89 after Parkinson's battle | The Sun
BARBARA Windsor's ex-husband Ronnie Knight has died aged 89 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Ronnie – who was married to Barbara Windsor for 22 years – passed away on Monday in a nursing home in Cambridgeshire.
Many also viewed Ronnie as a “gangster” due to his friendship with the Krays.
In 1983, almost £6million was stolen from a Security Express depot in Shoreditch, East London – of which he handled £314,813.
After a decade on the run in the Costa Del Sol, he was finally jailed for his part in the crime, receiving a seven year sentence in January 1995.
Read our Ronnie Knight live blog below for the latest news and updates…
- By Louis Allwood
Knight said 'armed robbery, real villainy, is not my scene'
Knight was released from prison on parole after three years and later led a quiet life in Cambridge.
Preferring to be called a "loveable rascal" rather than a gangster, Knight said: "Call me a convicted receiver of purloined goods, a baddie, a charmer or what you like.
"But armed robbery, real villainy, is not my scene."
- By Louis Allwood
What happened to Ronnie's brother?
His younger brother David was beaten up in an Islington pub.
When the Knight brothers confronted the men who attacked David in a gangland showdown, Alfredo "Italian Tony" Zomparelli stabbed David to death.
Zomparelli pleaded self-defence and was jailed for four years – but was shot dead soon after his release in Soho's Golden Goose arcade.
Knight stood trial for Zomparelli's murder after the hitman George Bradshaw claimed the nightclub boss had paid him £1,000 to kill David's killer.
- By Louis Allwood
Ronnie Knight's early life
The gangster was born into a crime family in Hoxton, east London, with his brothers Johnny and James introducing him to the local underworld.
He started out running Tin Pan Alley and the nearby Artistes and Repertoire Club on Charing Cross Road – two of most notorious gangland watering holes of the time.
Remembering one Soho party, he later wrote of "Noel Coward, tinkling away on the ivories for all he was worth, Roger Moore drawing the girls like horseflies to a cow-pat."
- By Louis Allwood
Knight was acquitted of murder
In 1980 Knight was acquitted of murdering ‘Italian Tony’ Zomparelli at the Old Bailey with gangland hitman Nicky Gerard.
The 1974 murder of Zomparelli was carried out in revenge for him stabbing Knight’s younger brother David to death four years earlier.
Despite being acquitted of the murder, Knight later wrote in a book that he had paid Gerard to carry out the murder as payback for the killing of his younger brother.
- By Louis Allwood
Knight became one of the so-called 'Famous Five'
Knight was part of the gang who carried out the £6 million Security Express heist in 1983 – then a record for cash stolen in a robbery.
The East End villain went on the run to Spain, becoming one of the so-called ‘Famous Five’ crooks wanted for the Security Express robbery who holed up on the Costa del Sol.
Knight eventually returned to Britain on a private plane with The Sun and was jailed for seven years for handling robbery proceeds – but not convicted for the heist itself.
- By Louis Allwood
Ex-wife Sue was 'a tower of strength'
Three-times wed and divorced Knight had been supported by his third ex-wife Sue Haylock during his illness.
The friend said: “Sue was a tower of strength for Ronnie.
“A lot of people are going to be a upset to hear the news about his death. He was a rogue – but a very loveable one.”
- By Louis Allwood
'His condition had deteriorated'
Ronnie had been battling Parkinson’s disease for the last few years of his life.
One family friend said: “His condition had deteriorated over the last few weeks. He got pneumonia and never recovered.”
- By Louis Allwood
When did Ronnie die?
The former husband of Barbara Windsor passed away on Monday in a nursing home in Cambridgeshire.
He had battled with Parkinson’s disease for the last few years of his life.
- By Louis Allwood
When did Barbara Windsor die?
On April 10, 2018 it was publicly confirmed that the Carry On legend had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
She had reportedly been taking medication to help manage the degenerative brain disease, but her symptoms of memory loss and confusion grew steadily worse.
Her current husband Scott Mitchell revealed the details of her condition in an exclusive, unpaid interview with the Sun.
She sadly passed away on December 10, 2020 at the age of 83.
- By Louis Allwood
Who played Ronnie Knight in Babs?
British actor Luke Allen-Gale landed the role of Ronnie Knight in the BBC show.
You may recognise the actor from his parts in apocalyptic series Dominion and ITV medical drama Monroe.
Luke can also be spotted in the cast of The Borgias, Endeavour, Ripper Street, Death in Paradise and Midsomer Murders.
The part of Barbara Windsor was played by three different actresses, including Jaime Winstone who looked the spitting image of the soap star.
- By Louis Allwood
What was 'Babs'?
Babs was a BBC biopic film about the life of British actress Barbara Windsor.
The story chronicled her life and career from 1943 through to 1993 and was told as a retrospective through the eyes of Babs as she waits to perform at a theatre.
As she contemplates her lonely childhood and WWII evacuation, she will remember her decision to go from Barbara Ann Deeks to Barbara Windsor – inspired by the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
It also tells the tale of her complicated relationship with her father, her doomed marriage to Ronnie Knight, capturing the attention of Joan Littlewood and becoming the blonde bombshell in the Carry On films.
This one-off show aired Sunday, May 7, 2017 and was repeated on August 18, 2020 on BBC One.
- By Louis Allwood
Did Barbara Windsor know the Krays?
Barbara became friends with the Kray twins and their group through the East End social scene.
For six months she dated Charlie Kray and briefly had a relationship with Reggie Kray.
She based the character she became most known for – Peggy Mitchell – on Violet Kray, the matriarch of the family.
- By Louis Allwood
Who is Ronnie Knight?
Ronnie Knight was married to Barbara Windsor for 22 years.
During their tumultuous relationship, both parties were rumoured to be having affairs.
In 1983, almost £6million was stolen from a Security Express depot in Shoreditch, East London.
After a decade on the run in the Costa Del Sol, Ronnie Knight was finally jailed for his part in the crime.
Although Knight denied taking part in the robbery, he was charged after he admitted to handling some of the proceeds.
- By Louis Allwood
Ronnie Knight dead aged 89
Ronnie Knight, Barbara Windsor's ex-husband has died aged 89.
Many also viewed Ronnie as a “gangster” due to his friendship with the Krays.
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