Dave Courtney death updates — Former gangster found dead at 64 in Plumstead house as cause is revealed
GANGSTER-turned-actor Dave Courtney has died at the age of 64, his family confirmed.
The actor died by suicide in his home, according to a statement from his family.
The statement said: “Dave tragically took his own life in the early hours with a firearm at his Camelot Castle home in Plumstead. Details about funeral arrangements will be provided in due course.”
He is survived by his wife, Jenny, as well as his six children from previous relationships.
The self-proclaimed former gangster published six books and starred in several films.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123.
Read our Dave Courtney death blog for the latest news and updates...
How did the Kray twins die?
Ronnie remained in Broadmoor Hospital until his death on March 17, 1995, after suffering from a heart attack at the age of 61.
Reggie was released from prison on compassionate grounds in August 2000, eight and a half weeks before his death from cancer.
Their reputation preceded them even in death, with onlookers crowding the streets to catch a glimpse of the famed gangster's coffin as it was taken through the East End.
What crimes did the Kray twins commit?
In the early 50s the brothers started their gang, The Firm, which would shape their criminal activities.
Under The Firm umbrella they were involved in armed robberies, arson, protection rackets, assaults and murder over close to two decades.
Their brother Charlie provided the business brainpower behind the operations, while the twins became the public face of The Firm.
One of their first moves was to buy a run-down snooker club in Mile End, where they started several protection rackets.
Their hands-on approach to business landed them in trouble, with Ronnie convicted of GBH in the late 1950s.
In the 60s, they moved to the West End to run a gambling club, Esmerelda's Barn, in Knightsbridge.
They were widely seen as prosperous nightclub owners and part of the Swinging London scene, even persuading a peer to join them on the board to give the club a veneer of respectability.
As owners of Esmerelda's Barn, the twins quickly achieved celebrity status, and rubbing shoulders with the likes of lords, MPs, socialites and famous faces such as Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.
Dave lived a 'colourful rock n roll life'
Following Dave Courtney's death, his family remembered his "colourful rock 'n' roll life."
A statement said: "He had lived an incredible, colourful rock 'n' roll life in which he touched the hearts of so many.
"The physical pain of living the lifestyle he chose, especially due to the pain of both cancer and arthritis in his later years, became too much.
"He chose to 'stop the ride' and take his own way out. In his own immortal words, 'Stop the ride, I want to get off'."
Do Dave and JennyBean have children?
There is very little verifiable information about whether Courtney and JennyBean have children.
LatestBollyHolly.com reports that the couple have two daughters.
According to this source, their names are Courtney Courtney and Lillie Eliza Berry.
Police close road next to Courtney's Camelot Castle
Police have reportedly closed the road next to Dave Courtney's mansion dubbed the Camelot Castle, as per the Standard.
This comes as cops continue to probe the ex-gangster's death.
Courtney took his own life in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Who is Linda Calvey
Linda Calvey, 75, first became involved in the criminal underworld after marrying her first husband, Mickey Calvey, when she was just 22.
He was just out of jail for armed robbery, and she began assisting him and his pals with their work, including as a getaway driver.
Mickey was later killed by cops and Calvey was pictured as a grieving widow by the press, when in reality she was establishing a fearsome reputation for herself.
She became known as the “Black Widow” as her husbands and lovers either died or ended up in prison.
In 1988, she paid criminal associate Daniel Reece £10,000 to kill her then lover Ronnie Cook, but when he failed to do it, she shot Cook twice. Calvey has denied the killing.
It landed her in prison for 18 and a half years, alongside notorious criminals including Rose West and Myra Hindley.
She later married Daniel Reece in prison.
Since being released in 2008, she has become a criminal fiction author. He books include The Game, The Locksmith, and Faith.
Calvey claims that her former life as a feared gangster seems “surreal” and that she feels like she is “looking back on the life of somebody else”.
Inside Dave’s castle
Dave Courtney, who has died aged 64, lived in a sprawling house dubbed “Camelot Castle”.
With turrets, a rifle-wielding cowboy mannequin and a mural depicting Dave as a knight on a horse – the former school is quite the statement.
Close friend and author Rocky Troiani honours Courtney’s ‘heart of pure gold’
Following the death of his close friend Dave Courtney, author Rocky Troiani took to social media to pay tribute to the reformed gangster: “This is a post I never thought I would be writing.
“The loss of Dave Courtney is beyond words so heartbreaking to write.
“Dave had been a close friend for many years as well as a great support for my charity work as photo shows here and even for a little sick girl just couple years ago dressed a father Christmas.
“Dave had a heart of pure gold and would help anyone that genuinely needed it. I will miss my Christmas eve call this year.
“Such a sad loss and one that has broken many hearts too. God bless you sir you will be so sadly missed.”
Courtney’s surprising feud with Jay-Z
Dave Courtney once had a feud with American rap superstar Jay-Z.
A photograph of Dave featured in the book The Firm is believed to have inspired the cover for Jay-Z’s 2001 album Blueprint.
Dave was less than impressed, claiming Jay-Z tried to take credit for the album art.
In 2022 he told YouTube channel Gangster Tales: “In this book, there is a photograph of me — an aerial photograph that was taken from the balcony of me addressing the Oxford Union.
I am sitting on the corner of a table. It is a cool picture. But when the book got brought out, Jay-Z actually thought that was a really cool picture because he is an intelligent man.
“He actually looked at it like, ‘wow there is a convicted felon teaching future parliament. He is the lecturer in the Oxford Union, teaching the next lord mayor, prime minister, chief of police‘.
“He thought that was really funny. So what he did was he did the exact same picture and put his head on it. He put it on the cover of Blueprint, his album which is a f***ing good album. He just changed the head on the picture and put him on it and called it Blueprint.
“My photograph became really famous on the cover of Jay-Z’s album. I don’t think it is the last you’ll hear of that, I think it is gonna raise its head again.
“Right now he is running around in show business, saying he has done it all down to himself. He actually started off with me on front front of his f***ing cover to be honest. It hasn’t gone un-noticed by a lot of people.”
Where did Dave Courtney live?
Courtney was born in Bermondsey, London.
He lived in Plumstead, southeast London, in a house known as Camelot Castle until his death.
Dave's house was decorated with a number of Union Flags, the cross of St George, and a painted depiction of himself and a large knuckle duster.
Dave Courtney's connection to the British crime world
David Courtney claimed to have links with notorious gangsters including Reggie Kray and Lenny McLean.
He is best known for organising security at Kray’s funeral in 1995.
But he later traded his life of crime to become a recognised author and celebrity.
Who is Jimmy Holmes?
Holmes entered the criminal underworld as a debt collector before coming under the tutelage of Bernie Silver – a crime boss and pornographer.
He then moved to operate in Canning Town during the 1980s and was said to enjoy hurting people.
During his bloody days in London, he teamed up with syndicate chief David Hunt, but the pair fell out over money and territory, leaving Holmes to flee to the US.
In a bid to return home, Holmes ended up offering police information on his former associate, including drug trafficking, alleged contract killings and prostitution.
He allegedly carried out the contract killing of Maxine Arnold and Terry Gooderham, which has remained unsolved, with Hunt before their falling out.
Holmes now earns a living as a novelist. His debut book, Judas Pig, was released in 2004 and is thought to be a thinly-veiled version of his life in gangland London.
Reformed British gangsters: John Pridmore
Growing up in East London, Pridmore, 59, turned to stealing as a teenager before becoming a gangster, specialising in protection rackets and as an enforcer.
He claimed at his gangland height in the 1990s he was earning “more money than he knew how to spend” thanks to the booming drugs trade.
The ex-gangster turned his life around and found God after almost killing a man outside a nightclub in a bid to impress a new criminal outfit.
Pridmore claimed he felt no remorse, and it led him to question how he lived his life, resulting in him letting God in and becoming a devout Catholic.
Now, he is a pastor and spends his time travelling the world sharing his redemption story.
He has also written two books, From Gangland to Promised Land and Journey to Freedom, about his life in the criminal underworld and move to an ordinary life.
Dave Courtney’s previous health struggles
Courtney had a minor heart attack in 2017, which he vowed wouldn’t be the end of him.
Dave also claimed he’d been shot, stabbed, and had his nose bitten off during a life of crime and violence, reports the .
His death comes just months after he had charges dropped for having knuckledusters, daggers, and throwing stars in his home, which were props for a film.
Was Dave Courtney married?
Courtney’s relationship status was something he liked to keep quiet.
However, he had been married before – to Jennifer Lucrea Pinto who he met while she was working at a nightclub Courtney owned.
But their relationship hit the rocks in 2004, when Courtney was accused of beating Pinto, during a row over her then lesbian lover.
He was later cleared of all charges.
Family statement
Dave Courtney took his own life this week aged 64 after battling cancer and arthritis.
This morning his family released a statement saying: “On October 22 Dave made the decision to ‘stop the ride’.
“He had lived an incredible, colourful rock n roll life which he touched the hearts of so many.
“The physical pain of living the lifestyle he chose, especially due to the pain of both cancer and arthritis in his later years, became too much.
“So … he chose to ‘stop the ride’ and take his way out.
“In his own immortal words, ‘stop the ride, I want to get off’.”
Where was Dave Courtney from?
Courtney was born in Bermondsey, London.
Until his death at the age of 64, he lived in Plumstead, South East London in a house known as Camelot Castle.
His house was decorated with a number of union flags, the cross of St George, a painted depiction of himself and a large knuckle duster.
Did Dave Courtney do time in prison?
Dave Courtney claimed he spent time in Belmarsh Prison as a high-security prisoner.
These claims were backed up by ex-prison guard Jim Dawkins in his book The Loose Screw.
Courtney also had a few close shaves when it comes to serving time — in 2009 the late former gangster avoided jail time after being charged with two firearm offences.
Courtney’s surprising feud with Jay-Z
Dave Courtney once had a feud with American rap superstar Jay-Z.
A photograph of Dave featured in the book The Firm is believed to have inspired the cover for Jay-Z’s 2001 album Blueprint.
Dave was less than impressed, claiming Jay-Z tried to take credit for the album art.
In 2022 he told YouTube channel Gangster Tales: “In this book, there is a photograph of me — an aerial photograph that was taken from the balcony of me addressing the Oxford Union.
I am sitting on the corner of a table. It is a cool picture. But when the book got brought out, Jay-Z actually thought that was a really cool picture because he is an intelligent man.
“He actually looked at it like, ‘wow there is a convicted felon teaching future parliament. He is the lecturer in the Oxford Union, teaching the next lord mayor, prime minister, chief of police‘.
“He thought that was really funny. So what he did was he did the exact same picture and put his head on it. He put it on the cover of Blueprint, his album which is a f***ing good album. He just changed the head on the picture and put him on it and called it Blueprint.
“My photograph became really famous on the cover of Jay-Z’s album. I don’t think it is the last you’ll hear of that, I think it is gonna raise its head again.
“Right now he is running around in show business, saying he has done it all down to himself. He actually started off with me on front front of his f***ing cover to be honest. It hasn’t gone un-noticed by a lot of people.”
Neighbour says Dave owned firearms
Dave Courtney’s neighbour told The Sun he owned around 12 decommissioned firearms – including handguns, shotguns and rifles which he kept in his front room.
Sheila added: “Police used to come round and check on them occasionally.
“To Dave, they were just ornaments.”
Dave Courtney’s famous links
David Courtney claimed to have links with notorious gangsters including Reggie Kray and Lenny McLean.
He is best known for organising security at Kray’s funeral in 1995.
But he later traded his life of crime to become a recognised author and celebrity.
‘We knew Dave was in a lot of pain’
Dave Courtney‘s neighbour continued: “Then I got a call this morning from his friend Brendan, who lives with him, saying Dave has been shot and is dead, and the police also told me he’d died.
“We knew Dave was in a lot of pain.
“He was suffering with terrible arthritis – he could barely roll a cigarette.”
Dave’s family confirmed his death
Dave Courtney‘s family confirmed his death on Sunday afternoon.
They said in a statement:
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Dave Courtney at the age of 64.”
Inside Dave's castle
Dave Courtney, who has died aged 64, lived in a sprawling house dubbed "Camelot Castle".
With turrets, a rifle-wielding cowboy mannequin and a mural depicting Dave as a knight on a horse - the former school is quite the statement.
What was Dave Courtney's net worth?
Reports of Dave’s net worth have varied dramatically.
There are numerous outlets reporting a net worth of around $5million (£4.1million).
But IdolNetWorth has the actor’s net worth at $30million (£24.7million).