Astor Club a remark which led to a gangland war (Cornell himself being shot dead in March 1966 in front of witnesses at the bar of the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel) and so, ultimately, to the trials and sentences which destroyed both the Kray and Richardson gangs. Indeed, when the Krays were arrested for the Cornell murder (two years after the fact), they were drinking (at 6 a.m.) at The Lion pub, Bethnal Green, intending to move on later to the Astor. The Astor survived beyond the era of the Krays and Richardsons and continued to attract wealthy customers. An Astor
Kray twins the twins, James Fox met Ronnie whilst the twins were held at HM Prison Brixton as part of his research for his role in the 1970 film "Performance," and Richard Burton visited Ronnie at Broadmoor as part of his preparation for his role as a violent gangster in the 1971 film "Villain". In the British soap opera Eastenders, Grant Mitchell describes local crime boss Johnny Allen as being "on Ronnie and Reggie mode". 'Warped' by Martin Malcolm directed by Russell Lucas opens at VAULT Festival in 2019. The play tells the story of two young men who idolise the Krays.