The East End of London turned out in force yesterday to say farewell to one of its most notorious sons, the gangland "legend" Reggie Kray, in a funeral that assumed cult-status.
Crowds of mourners, fellow criminals and those who were just curious turned out to say goodbye to the gangster, and for a few, to say goodbye to an era that lifted villains to the status of celebrities.
Reggie Kray (66), died from bowel cancer earlier this month after his release on compassionate grounds from prison.
Thousands lined the route of the funeral cortege from W. English and Sons funeral parlour on Bethnal Green Road, where Kray's body had lain in a pale oak coffin, to St Matthew's Church for the funeral service. "Minders" at the funeral, wearing long black coats and red armbands with the letters RKF (Reggie Kray's Funeral) provided an air of gangland camaraderie, ignoring the request from Reggie's wife, Roberta, for no underworld trappings.
Outside the funeral parlour, hundreds of floral tributes covered the pavement. Some provided reminders of Reggie's boxing days in his youth - one was in the shape of a pair of boxing gloves.
A wreath of red roses from the Eastenders actress, Barbara Windsor, was a reminder of the Krays' heyday when they mixed with London's celebrity circuit while indulging in vicious crime and money rackets in the 1960s.
Eastenders have a short memory when it comes to gangsters. Forgotten was the fact that the Kray twins were sentenced to life in 1969 for their crimes: Reggie for murdering Jack "The Hat" McVitie and Ronnie for the murder of George Cornell. Their brother, Charlie, died last year in prison while serving a sentence for drug offences.
In St Matthew's Church, Dr Ken Stallard said Reggie had sought forgiveness for his crimes but had sworn him to secrecy about his conversion to Christianity.
"I found Reg a man of great thought and great depth and he was a great help to me," he told the mourners, which included the former gangster, "Mad" Frankie Fraser.
As the funeral cortege set off on its 12-mile journey to Chingford Cemetery, north London, with Reggie's coffin placed inside a Victorian carriage pulled by six black horses, a recording of Frank Sinatra's My Way was relayed to the crowds outside the church.