random - 10-10-2013 at 07:12 PM
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/09/mark-chopper-re...
Mark “Chopper” Read, one of Australia’s most notorious criminals and a bestselling author, has died aged 58 following a battle with liver cancer,
according to his manager.
Read died on Wednesday afternoon at the Royal Melbourne hospital, Andrew Parisi said in a statement.
The Parisi statement described Read’s “courageous battle with liver cancer”.
It said: “A fortnight ago, Mark made his last public appearance in front of a sold-out audience at Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre. Despite his failing
health, he delighted the audience with his skills as a raconteur and storyteller. This is how he would wish to be remembered, as someone who spun a
great yarn and made many people laugh.
“At the time of his death, we ask that people reflect on how Mark was able to overcome his past and, after more than 23 years in prison, find a way to
re-enter normal society. It is as a husband, father and friend that Mark will be missed most deeply.
“In their time of grief, out of respect for Mark's two young sons in particular, the family requests utmost privacy."
Read, who spent nearly 23 years in prison, was diagnosed with liver cancer last April.
The former criminal, who was last released from prison in 1998, gained global notoriety after an acclaimed film on his life was released in 2000.
“Chopper” starred Eric Bana whom Read had personally suggested to play him. Following the film’s success Read took up regular columns in British lads’
magazines Nuts and FHM.
But well before the film’s release Read had begun a career as a writer from inside prison. In 1990 he began writing to Age crime correspondent John
Silvester who edited the letters and published Chopper, From the Inside: The Confessions of Mark Brandon Read in 1991. Read capitalised on the success
of the book, which became a bestseller, and began writing more autobiographical tales under the “Chopper” series.
Read had a reputation as one of Australia’s most dangerous and violent criminals, known for his torture methods involving blowtorches and bolt
cutters.
Read married his first wife, Mary-Ann Hodge, in 1995 while still inside. On his release they moved to Tasmania and had a son, Charlie, something Read
said changed his life. “I became a human being at 45, when I saw my first boy born,” he said.
The marriage was over in 2001 and in 2003 he married longtime friend Margaret Casser and another son, Roy, was born the following year.
In an interview with the New York Times in April this year, Read protested that number of people he had killed had been wildly exaggerated. “Look,
honestly, I haven’t killed that many people,” he said before concluding that the number was “probably about four or seven, depending on how you look
at it.”
Six66Mike - 10-10-2013 at 11:58 PM
I'm planning to watch Chopper this weekend. Made top story on most national news websites the day it happened.
Discipline - 10-11-2013 at 01:30 PM
That sucks. He was awesome. RIP