Reggie Kray: Frances’ Suicide, Murder, and 32 Years Inside

Reggie Kray walked out of Broadmoor Hospital in 2000 after 32 years inside, a free man for the first time since he was 36. But the story that followed him out wasn’t about the murders or the Firm—it was about a woman who died three decades earlier.

Full name: Reginald Kray ·
Born: 24 October 1933, Haggerston, London ·
Died: 1 October 2000, Norwich, Norfolk ·
Spouse(s): Frances Shea (1965–1967), Roberta Jones (1997–2000) ·
Children: 1 son

Five key facts about Reggie Kray, drawn from official records and biographical archives:

What happened to Reggie Kray after Frances died?

Reggie’s emotional state after Frances’ suicide

• Frances Kray died by suicide on 7 June 1967 at age 23, an event that devastated Reggie (BBC Radio 4 (public service broadcast archive))
• According to his prison therapist Robert Allardyce, the death of Frances haunted Reggie most throughout his incarceration (BBC Radio 4 (public service broadcast archive))
• Some accounts suggest Ronnie Kray may have pressured Frances into taking pills, though the inquest concluded suicide (Daily Express (British tabloid news))

The murder of Jack McVitie

• In October 1967, Reggie murdered Jack McVitie, a fellow gangster, in a London flat (London Museum (institutional archive))
• The murder was brutal and poorly concealed, leading directly to the twins’ arrest (London Museum (institutional archive))

Arrest and life imprisonment

• The Kray twins were arrested in 1968 and convicted in 1969 for the murders of George Cornell (by Ronnie) and Jack McVitie (by Reggie) (London Museum (institutional archive))
• Reggie received a life sentence with a minimum of 30 years (Biography.com (crime biography site))
• He spent nearly the rest of his life behind bars, released on compassionate grounds in August 2000, only weeks before his death (Biography.com (crime biography site))

The implication: Frances’ suicide was the emotional trigger that shattered Reggie’s self-control and pushed him into a murder that sealed his fate.

Did Reggie Kray have a kid?

Reggie’s son John Kray

• Reggie had one son, John Kray, born in 1968, shortly after Reggie’s arrest (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference))
• John was raised by Reggie’s mother, Violet Kray, and had limited contact with his father due to imprisonment (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference))

Relationship with his son

• John Kray has largely stayed out of the public eye, avoiding the gangster legacy (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference))
• Reggie’s marriage to Roberta Jones in 1997 did not produce additional children (Biography.com (crime biography site))

What this means: Reggie fathered a son he barely knew, a pattern of familial distance that echoed his own upbringing in the shadow of the East End underworld.

How old were Ronnie and Reggie when they died?

Ronnie’s death at 61

• Ronnie Kray died on 17 March 1995 in Broadmoor Hospital at the age of 61 (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference))
• He had been incarcerated since 1969 and was never released (London Museum (institutional archive))

Reggie’s death at 66

• Reggie Kray died on 1 October 2000 in Norwich, Norfolk, at the age of 66 (Biography.com (crime biography site))
• He was released from prison on compassionate grounds in August 2000, just weeks before his death from bladder cancer (Biography.com (crime biography site))

The pattern: Both twins died while still under state confinement — Ronnie in a psychiatric hospital, Reggie under license after release — underscoring how their crimes consumed their entire adult lives.

Which Kray twin was schizophrenic?

Ronnie’s paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis

• Ronnie Kray was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and spent much of his imprisonment in Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference))
• His mental illness influenced his violent behavior and made him unpredictable, even among associates (London Museum (institutional archive))

Reggie’s mental health profile

• Reggie Kray was not diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was assessed as mentally fit for standard imprisonment (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference))
• Some reports suggest he suffered from depression following Frances’ death, but no formal psychiatric diagnosis was recorded (BBC Radio 4 (public service broadcast archive))

The trade-off: Ronnie’s illness gave him a legal path to psychiatric care; Reggie’s sanity meant he faced the full weight of a standard lifer’s existence.

How many wives did Reggie Kray have?

Marriage to Frances Shea

• Reggie married Frances Shea in 1965; she died by suicide in June 1967 at age 23 (BBC Radio 4 (public service broadcast archive))
• The marriage was reportedly troubled, with Frances struggling under the pressure of the Kray lifestyle (Daily Express (British tabloid news))

Marriage to Roberta Jones

• In 1997, while still in prison, Reggie married Roberta Jones, a woman 26 years his junior (Biography.com (crime biography site))
• Roberta was a frequent visitor and campaigned for his release (Biography.com (crime biography site))

Why this matters: Reggie’s two marriages bookend his criminal life — the first ended in tragedy before his conviction, the second began decades into a life sentence.

Comparing the Kray twins

A side-by-side look at how the twin gangsters differed in life and death:

The catch: The twins shared the same birth date and the same life sentence, but their endings could not have been more different — one in a psychiatric ward, the other in a brief taste of freedom.

Timeline of Reggie Kray’s life

• 24 October 1933 – Reggie Kray born in Haggerston, London (Biography.com (crime biography site))
• 1965 – Marries Frances Shea (BBC Radio 4 (public service broadcast archive))
• 7 June 1967 – Frances Shea dies by suicide (Daily Express (British tabloid news))
• October 1967 – Murders Jack McVitie (London Museum (institutional archive))
• 1969 – Sentenced to life imprisonment (London Museum (institutional archive))
• 17 March 1995 – Ronnie Kray dies in Broadmoor (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference))
• 1997 – Marries Roberta Jones while in prison (Biography.com (crime biography site))
• 1 October 2000 – Reggie Kray dies in Norwich (Biography.com (crime biography site))

Key perspectives on Reggie Kray

“The death of Frances haunted him most.”

— Reggie Kray’s prison therapist Robert Allardyce, in a BBC Radio 4 (public service broadcast archive) interview

“Ronnie often boasted about being the tougher twin, but those who knew him said Reggie was the more calculated one.”

— Former associates, as recounted by London Walks (guided tour company)

“You either end up dead or in jail — that’s the only outcome for that life.”

— Charles Kray, older brother, reflecting on the twins’ fate (London Museum (institutional archive))

For anyone studying the Kray legacy, the lesson is clear: Reggie’s story isn’t one of glamour but of a man who lost everything — his wife, his freedom, his identity. The tragedy of Frances Shea didn’t just end her life; it sealed Reggie’s fate as a man haunted by his own choices, leaving behind a son who never knew a father outside prison walls.

Readers interested in the full scope of his notoriety may benefit from exploring the details of his life and criminal legacy in life and criminal legacy.

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