Mark Brandon Read, a notorious Australian criminal and self-described “murdering maggot” who spun tales from his violent history into a successful comedy routine and 10 top-selling books, including one illustrated for children, died on Wednesday in Melbourne. He was 58.
The cause was liver cancer, his manager, Andrew Parisi, said in a statement.
Mr. Read, a folk hero known as Chopper to his countrymen, claimed that all his books were based on his life, which he began as an unwanted child and proceeded through phases as a juvenile thug, mob enforcer, kidnapper and contract killer.
"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming
Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
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