Reginald Kray: Life, Crimes, Wives, and Death

When one half of the most infamous twin act in British crime history walks free after three decades only to die weeks later, you’re left with a story that feels almost scripted. Reginald Kray spent his final weeks as a free man after a life sentence for murder, passing away on 1 October 2000 at age 66.

Born: 24 October 1933, Haggerston, London ·
Died: 1 October 2000, Norfolk, England (age 66) ·
Most famous for: Twin gangster with brother Ronnie Kray ·
Prison sentence: Life imprisonment (1969–2000) ·
Marriages: Frances Shea (1965–1967), Roberta Jones (1997–2000) ·
Children: None

Reginald Kray’s life is easy to sum up in a few key numbers. Six facts that capture the essentials:

What happened to Reginald Kray?

Two phases dominate his story: the conviction that put him away, and the brief freedom that followed his brother’s death.

Conviction and imprisonment

Reginald Kray was convicted in March 1969 alongside his twin Ronnie for the murder of Jack McVitie. The judge gave him a life sentence with a recommended minimum of 30 years (Wikipedia (encyclopedic biography)). He served roughly three decades in prisons across England (Biography.com (popular biography site)).

Release and death

In August 2000, Reggie was released on compassionate grounds after being diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer (Biography.com (popular biography site)). He died just weeks later, on 1 October 2000, in a Norwich hotel (BBC News (UK news desk)). BBC reported that he died peacefully in his sleep after a battle against bladder cancer.

The implication: freedom came too late for Reggie to build a life outside prison walls.

Did Reggie Kray have a baby?

One of the most persistent questions about Reggie Kray is whether he fathered children. The short answer is no – but a rumour about two children from an earlier relationship complicates the picture.

Children with Frances Shea

Reggie and Frances Shea were married from 1965 until her suicide in 1967. They had no children together (Wikipedia (encyclopedic biography)).

Children with Roberta Jones

His second marriage, to Roberta Jones, also produced no children. However, some sources – notably a walking tour website – claim Reggie had two children, Gary and Nancy, with a woman named Doris “Dolly” Moore (Walks.com (London walking tour site)). This claim is not corroborated by any official biography or court record, and it remains one of the murkier anecdotes in the Kray story.

Who was tougher, Ronnie or Reggie Kray?

The question fans of the Kray twins still argue over has no easy answer. Both were convicted killers, but their personalities differed sharply.

Reputation for violence

Ronnie Kray was widely seen as the more volatile and mentally unstable of the two. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he was prone to unpredictable outbursts (Crime & Investigation (true-crime archive)). Reggie, by contrast, was quieter and more controlled – but his violence was just as lethal. He stabbed Jack McVitie in a frenzied attack that became the basis for his murder conviction.

Mental health differences

Ronnie’s schizophrenia meant he was often considered the “mad” one, while Reggie was the “bad” one. Yet both were ultimately held equally accountable under the law: both received life sentences.

Were the Kray twins Irish?

Despite a common assumption, the Kray twins were emphatically English – though with a hint of Irish ancestry.

Family origins

Their father, Charles Kray, had some Irish ancestry. But the twins themselves were born in Hoxton, East London, and raised within the city’s working class. Reggie and Ronnie never claimed to be Irish; they identified as Londoners through and through.

English identity

All official records and biographical sources list them as English. The confusion may stem from the fact that Charles Kray was sometimes described as having “Irish blood,” but the twins themselves were born and bred in England.

How many wives did Reggie Kray have?

Reggie married twice. Each marriage ended in tragedy.

First marriage: Frances Shea

He married Frances Shea on 19 April 1965 at St James’ Church in Bethnal Green. The couple separated within a year, and the divorce was finalised in 1967. Frances died by suicide on 7 June 1967 (&Meetings (biographical blog)).

Second marriage: Roberta Jones

While serving his life sentence, Reggie married Roberta Jones in prison on 14 July 1997 (IMDb (celebrity biography)). She remained with him until his death in 2000.

Reggie vs Ronnie: a comparison

While they were inseparable in life and crime, the twin portraits diverge in key details. Here’s how they stack up:

The pattern: Ronnie died first, institutionalised; Reggie died free, but only for six weeks. Both met an early end, one inside a secure hospital, one in a hotel room.

Timeline of Reginald Kray’s life

The eight milestones that define his story:

• 24 October 1933 – Born with twin brother Ronald in Haggerston, London (Wikipedia (encyclopedic biography))
• 1950s–1960s – Rose to power in London’s East End criminal underworld (Biography.com (popular biography site))
• 19 April 1965 – Married Frances Shea (&Meetings (biographical blog))
• 7 June 1967 – Frances Shea died by suicide (&Meetings (biographical blog))
• March 1969 – Convicted of murder of Jack McVitie; sentenced to life imprisonment (Crime & Investigation (true-crime archive))
• 14 July 1997 – Married Roberta Jones in prison (Wikipedia (encyclopedic biography))
• August 2000 – Released from prison on compassionate grounds (Biography.com (popular biography site))
• 1 October 2000 – Died aged 66 in Norwich (BBC Norfolk (regional news service))

Clarity: what we know and what we don’t

Voices from the archive

“I was an arrogant bastard and I thought I was untouchable.”

— Reginald Kray, from his autobiography “Our Story” (as quoted in Biography.com (popular biography site))

“She was deeply unhappy; the marriage was a disaster.”

— Family friend, on Frances Shea’s marriage to Reggie, reported in &Meetings (biographical blog)

Reginald Kray’s death marked the end of a notorious chapter in British crime. For historians of the East End underworld, the lesson is clear: the gangster life exacts a price that even freedom cannot erase.

For a detailed account of Reginald Krays life and crimes, readers can explore the full biography on Civic Insight.

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