Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Stardom by Jo Briggs Schedule. A limited schedule is in effect for the last week of June, July & August. Please click on the link below and register with MindBody to get the up to date schedule and be kept advised of instructor, cancellations, vacation days etc. If you are ever unsure if a class is being held, don't hesitate to call or send a quick text or email. You can also download the MindBody mobile app by clicking on the button below. After logging in, make sure you've allowed location services and then search "Jo Briggs Zumba"; add the studio to your favorites and the studio schedule will come up when you launch the app. W ELCOME TO T HE T OWER T HEATRE. The Tower Theatre's non-profit operation relies upon generous donations from individuals, corporations and foundations. Help us to keep the Performing Arts thriving in Fresno. We consistently bring exciting and renowned music artists, comedians, alternative movies, special events, and world-class entertainment to Fresno's Historic Tower District. By making a purchase of our one-of-a-kind Tower Theatre Memorabilia, you are helping the Tower Theatre, a nationally recognized Historic Landmark, run strong for generations. TOWER FACEBOOK. MAILING LIST. BOX OFFICE INFORMATION. Open Monday - Friday 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. 809 E. Olive Avenue, Fresno, CA 93728. Tower Theatre Seating Chart. Tickets purchased online are held at the Box Office for pick up. For Weekday Shows: Opens at 10:00 a.m. Closes one hour after show time. Weekend & Holiday Shows: Open at 12:00 noon Closes one hour after show time. May 14, 2021 - 8:00 p.m. Doors - 7 p.m. Comedian. Kabir "Kabeezy" Singh. Kabir "Kabeezy" Singh is one of the fastest rising comedians in the nation. fresh off his "Comedy Central" Debut on the hit comedy show "Gabriel Iglesias's Stand-Up Revolution, "Kabir is A high-energy, crowd-pleasing comic with an in-your-face attitude and razor-sharp wit, Kabeezy's won numerous comedy competitions, including taking first place two years in a row at the Bay Area Stand Up Comedy Competition, but most importantly won the 2014 "SF International Comedy Competition"by coming in first place in all 5 shows in the Final Round which was the first time that has happened in It's rich 39 year history which included past competitors like Dana Carvey, Robin Williams, Ellen Degeneres, Louis CK, Patton Oswalt, Marc Maron, Doug Stanhope and Dane Cook. Kabir has also shared the stage with top comedy stars like Dave Chappelle, Jo Koy , Russell Peters and is regularly on tour currently with Anjelah Johnson and headlines the national "Outsourced Comedy Tour". Kabir has also headlined a night at every major comedy club in California including the Hollywood Laugh Factory, Melrose Improv,San Jose Improv, Brea Improv, Irvine Improv, The Comedy Store, Cobbs Comedy Club and the San Francisco Punchline. Kabir' stand up comedy has also been televised nationally on "The Starz Network and internationally on "The BBC Network, "TV Asia" and "ZEE TV". Kabir also recently took 2ND Place in the World Series of Comedy beating out 500 Comedians from all over America . Kabir's fan base has grown year after year and his reputation of a "crowd pleasing Comedian" has been a staple in the Stand Up Comedy Community. New Date to Be Announced - Stay Tuned! Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. April, 2020, marks the 27th anniversary of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s remarkable arrival onto the music scene. Since its formation in the early nineties in Ventura, California, the band has toured virtually nonstop, performing on average over 150 shows a year, and has produced a sizable catalog of recorded music, with sales of over 2 million albums to date. Early on, during their legendary residency at the Derby nightclub in Los Angeles, they reminded the world, in the midst of the grunge era no less, that it was still cool to swing. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s efforts to promote and revitalize swing music have taken shape as much more than a simple tribute. Taking inspiration from the creators of this uniquely. American art form, the band’s original horn-infused music and legendary high energy show introduces the genre to a new and younger generation while remaining cognizant and. respectful of the music’s rich legacy. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's first phase of stardom featured an appearance in the 1996 indie film Swingers, a movie that not only launched the careers of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, but introduced Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to an audience beyond their Los Angeles base. The band's music has appeared in countless films and television shows, including The Wild, Despicable Me, Phineas & Ferb, Friends, Third Rock From The Sun, Ally McBeal, and So You Think You Can Dance. They have appeared live on Dancing With The Stars, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a remarkable seven appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the Super Bowl XXXIII Halftime Show. The band has also appeared as special guests with many of the country's most distinguished symphony orchestras, and has performed for three U.S. Presidents. After 27 years, 11 records, over 3000 live shows, and countless appearances in film and television, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is showing no signs of slowing down, and is looking forward to sharing its music with new and old fans alike, in 2020. September 11, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. Doors & Drinks - 7 p.m. L.A. GUNS. Starring. Phil Lewis & Tracii Guns. OPENING BAND IS. L.A. Guns was formed in 1983 by guitar player Tracii Guns and, then unknown singer, Axl Rose on lead vocals. The Classic Lineup of Guns, former Girl singer Phil Lewis, Steve, Kelly & Mick, have sold 6 1/2 million records, including 1988's L.A. Guns and 1990's Cocked and Loaded, both of which were certified Gold. Cocked and Loaded contained the hit single "Ballad of Jayne" that went to #33 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #25 on the Mainstream Rock charts. From the mid-90's to the mid 2000's, after changing lineups twice, L.A. Guns continued to tour and release new music. Following their successful performance at Sirius XM's HairNation Festival in May of 2016, L.A. Guns went into the studio to record the critically acclaimed, The Missing Peace, the highest selling release for Frontiers Music in 2017. Their 12th release, The Devil You Know, released March 29, 2019 to the same critical acclaim. Since reunited, Tracii and Phil continue to tour around the world with L.A. Guns which includes Johnny Martin (bass), Ace Von Johnson (guitar) and Scot Coogan (drums). September 25, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. Doors & Drinks - 7 p.m. AjaVu. Stealin' Chicago Celebrating the magical music of Steely Dan and Chicago. The Aja Vu and Stealin' Chicago bands celebrate the magical music of Steely Dan and Chicago. Aja Vu has long performed the music of Steely Dan and now they've added the Stealin' Chicago show for a night of stellar and totally classic music. That's right: one great band, two great tributes! Now you can hear songs you know and love played live! From Reelin in the Years and Hey 19 to Saturday in the Park and 25 or 6 to 4, they perform the music with pure love for the harmonies and classic horns of the original recordings. October 17, 2020 - 8:00 p.m. Doors & Drinks - 7 p.m. featuring Chieli Minucci, Elliott Yamin, KareN Briggs, Nelson RangeLl & Lao Tizer w/Ric Fierabracci & Gene CoyE. Guitarist, composer, and arranger Chieli Minucci is longtime leader of the Grammy-nominated jazz-fusion group SPECIAL EFX featuring Chieli Minucci, a major force on the jazz and world music scene for over 35 years. Although renowned in the jazz and pop world, Chieli is also a gifted television and film composer. He has won 3 Emmy Awards and been nominated 10 times for his eclectic compositional work. His music can also be heard on the soundtracks of the films Bowfinger, Legally Blonde, Panic, and others. American Idol star, vocalist Elliott Yamin had no vocal training and was 90 percent deaf in his right ear, yet he vaulted to stardom after becoming a third-place finalist on American Idol. His debut album made it to #1 on the Billboard Charts.. Elliott launched his recording career following his appearance on American Idol as one of the top three finalists. His highly anticipated album, Elliott Yamin, debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard album chart and was the highest-debuting album by an independent artist in Sound Scan history. Nelson Rangell is an American jazz musician and composer from Castle Rock, Colorado. Beginning in 1989, he recorded eight albums for GRP. He has recorded with The Rippingtons, Chuck Loeb, Patti Austin, Tom Browne, the GRP All-Star Big Band and is featured on The Hang, an album by Don Grusin that was nominated for a Grammy Award. Keyboardist Lao Tizer is one of today’s rising stars of the world-fusion genre. Lao’s music has a multi-genre, multi-national appeal and his group, The Lao Tizer Band, has toured the USA and the world while being nominated “Jazz Group of the Year”! Karen Briggs, aka the "Lady in Red" , is an American violinist. Best known for spending thirteen years on tour with contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, Briggs received the "Lady in Red" moniker while featuring as a soloist on Yanni's Live at the Acropolis tour. Joining the Special EFX All-Stars will be Grammy-winning drummer extraordinaire Gene Coye (Seal, Larry Carlton, The Lao Tizer Band, Richard Bona) and Grammy-nominated bass virtuoso Ric Fierabracci (Chick Corea, Blood Sweat & Tears, Frank Gambale, Billy Cobham). December 4, 2020 - 8 p.m. Doors & Drinks - 7 p.m. AN EVENING WITH. Before Mötley Crüe, before RATT, even before there was a Metallica, Y&T was slogging away in sweaty rock clubs around America. When the band formed in the early 1970s, little did they know they would set the standard for hard rock bands that trailed. Many of the biggest acts of the ’80s became popular opening for headliners Y&T—and cut their teeth on the band, as evidenced by the Y&T mentions in tell-all books by acts such as Metallica and Mötley Crüe. Originally formed as Yesterday and Today, the initial powerhouse quartet—featuring Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), Phil Kennemore (bass), Leonard Haze (drums), and Joey Alves (rhythm guitar)—tore through the ’70s and ’80s with their own brand of hard rock. After two ’70s albums on London Records, they shortened their name to Y&T and released eight albums on A&M in the ’80s. Two more albums with Geffen Records marked an era of change with Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth) on drums and Stef Burns (Alice Cooper, Berlin, Huey Lewis) on guitar. Y&T songs have been featured in a multitude of movies and television shows, including Real Genius, Out of Bounds, Baywatch, and Hunter. After five top 100 albums, songs that tipped into the 40s, two Bammie Awards, and many international television appearances, Y&T’s hits are still played on VH1 Classic and classic rock radio stations worldwide. With the passing of Kennemore, Haze, and Alves, it’s Meniketti who carries on the legacy that is Y&T. Y&T continues to tour the world, featuring the dynamic original frontman Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), John Nymann (guitar/vocals), Aaron Leigh (bass/vocals), and Mike Vanderhule (drums/vocals), playing songs that span the band’s five-decade career and including all the hits and fan favorites. Prepare to have your face melted. March 19, 2021 - 8:00 p.m. Doors & Drinks - 7 p.m. Inside The Tower Theatre Lounge. JOHN CORABI. John Corabi is one of the most talented singers and songwriters to ever come out of the hard rock world. Whether it was with the Scream, Motley Crue, Union, or any of the other amazing recordings that he has been a part of, John's distinctive voice and emotive song writing cannot be matched. With a past as colorful as John's, his future is what is most exciting! In early 2006 he began writing songs with writers in Nashville for some of the biggest names in country music, and has found time to write several TV show treatments, that are currently being pitched. In 2012 John released his album, simply titled "Unplugged" with Rat Pak Records. And in 2018 he released a rocking' live album, "Live 94 (One Night In Nashville.)" May 8, 2021 - 8:00 p.m. Doors & Drinks - 7 p.m. MagicSpace Entertainment presents: An Evening with David Sedaris. NPR humorist and bestselling author of Calypso, Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers, known for his sardonic wit and incisive social critiques. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. Calypso, his latest collection of essays, is a New York Times best-seller, and a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. The audio book of Calypso was nominated for a 2019 Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Album category. “Sedaris ain’t the preeminent humorist of his generation by accident.”– Whitney Pastorek, Entertainment Weekly. May 27, 2021 - 8:00 p.m. Doors & Drinks - 7 p.m. Brian Culbertson's The XX Tour. Over the course of crafting a 20-album catalog and architecting more than 30 Billboard No. 1 singles as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Brian Culbertson has charted his own unique course in music. Label him jazz and he makes a funk record. Call him an R&B artist and he drops an acoustic jazz trio collection. Brand him pop and he creates a 32-minute New Age opus. Present day brings his aptly titled “XX” album – those X’s are Roman numerals – finds Culbertson making a record unlike any of his previous releases because of its diversity. Recreating that cool sound live for fans is the best part as Culbertson and his band embark on The XX Tour, playing more than 70 concert dates. In addition to performing much of the new album, the setlist includes cuts from Culbertson’s hit-filled songbook along with a segment showcasing songs from “Winter Stories,” an album released last fall that placed him in an acoustic jazz trio setting for the first time. Possessing style, panache and a savvy business mind capable of moving the needle in music and beyond, Culbertson founded and curates the annual Napa Valley and Chicago Jazz Getaways, which have attracted guests from all over the globe to experience his premier events. ‘Joe Bob Briggs Live: How Rednecks Saved Hollywood’: Film Review | Fantasia 2019. Movie-show host and tongue-in-cheek scribe Joe Bob Briggs has spent decades reveling in disreputable cinema. His website dubs him “America’s foremost drive-in movie critic,” modestly ignoring the fact that this makes him foremost in the world — nay, the universe, or at least the parts of it that have invented cars and movies and excuses for back-seat misbehavior. Briggs has a respectable alter ego, the journalist John Bloom, but Bloom was nowhere to be found at How Rednecks Saved Hollywood , the latest touring multimedia lecture in which Briggs unearths bits of movie history the Academy would prefer to forget. If his talk had been recorded as voiceover for a doc with more film clips, this is the kind of thing you’d call an “essay film.” Except that essay films are for chin-scratching, sagely nodding cineastes and, well, this extremely entertaining event was not. Which is not to say it was for dummies. Briggs spent a nice little chunk at the start — after a rather itchy mockery of trigger warnings and an acknowledgement that Fantasia’s Canadian audience might need some help with obscure Americana — explaining what a redneck actually is. He traced the species back to the Cumberland region on Scotland’s border with England, identifying the world’s first redneck as John Knox, a Scottish Presbyterian rebel. He followed the migration of like-minded folk to Ulster in Ireland, where the Catholics hated them, and onward to Pennsylvania and the rest of Appalachia — always in search of places where there was nobody to bother them. “Hounded by kings, Catholics, and revenue agents for 400 years,” these pale Scots-Irish had acquired a mystique before the movies were even invented. They supplied the subject for the Biograph Company’s 1904 short The Moonshiner , introducing a theme that would forever be associated with hillbillies. (Note: Per Joe Bob, “all hillbillies are rednecks; not all rednecks are hillbillies.”) Since the Whiskey Rebellion, rural Americans had clashed with a government that wanted to tax the spirits they made from their own crops, on their own property. But the conflict grew more appealing to the movies once those hicks had cars. “A chase scene is worth a hundred scenes of some guy breakin’ the federal tax laws,” Briggs observes, and the big-screen descendants of Thunder Road prove him right. Eventually rednecks learned to drive big rigs, leading to classics like Convoy and what our guide considers the greatest movie ever, Smokey and the Bandit. Briggs’ history of this field isn’t all fun and games. While he celebrates the enduring contribution redneck women made to couture — Daisy Duke cutoffs, and whatever you call those knotted, midriff-exposing tops that go with them — he’s less accepting of redneck movies’ general treatment of women, or more precisely, girls. He calls out 1938’s Child Bride for its extended nude scene featuring a 12-year-old — obviously illegal, he notes, but now preserved by the Library of Congress — and groans at Nashville Girl , about an underage singer who sleeps her way to stardom. (Nashville-themed movies “all suck,” Briggs contends; here’s hoping John Bloom is more tolerant than Joe Bob is of the one Robert Altman made.) And then, of course, there’s race. The Briggs shtick benefits from a certain know-your-audience element: Having played this character for far longer than Stephen Colbert mimicked Bill O’Reilly, Bloom/Briggs can assume his audience understands he doesn’t share his subjects’ reverence for Confederate generals. (Then again, he currently writes for a website whose other columnists are Ann Coulter and Pat Buchanan; Nazi-loving troll Richard Spencer used to edit it.) He derides civil-rights “lectures to the choir” like Mississippi Burning , noting that they arrived a couple of decades late to be called brave, and takes pains to distinguish rednecks from the rich, Gone With the Wind -like Southerners who had something to gain from the Civil War. “Rednecks didn’t own slaves,” he contends; “rednecks wouldn’t have known what to do with a slave.” Well. Briggs spends most of the lecture on forgotten Hicksploitation, but has smart and/or provocative things to say about redneck cinema’s greatest hits, from Deliverance and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Sling Blade and “ Forrest Fucking Gump .” Near the end he gets to his probably insincere thesis — that after American Indians, blacks and Arabs, rednecks gave Hollywood its last target whose dignity nobody would defend. (Not really true: Filmmakers still have Scientologists, pedophiles and hair-metal fans to kick around, among others.) And all the while, the industry earns millions from things it’ll barely acknowledge making: Ma & Pa Kettle films in the ’50s; a dozen or so outings for Jim Varney’s “Ernest” character two generations later; and today, more redneck-themed reality TV series than you’d think there were rednecks to star in. The Scots- Irish may never give show business another Burt Reynolds, but they look to be profit generators for at least a while longer. Venue: Fantasia Film Festival Production company: Shudder Cast: Joe Bob Briggs. Stardom by Jo Briggs. Published: 10:59 BST, 14 May 2021 | Updated: 21:41 BST, 14 May 2021. A GP's receptionist had to have her leg and all her toes amputated after a hot tub party gave her a deadly blood infection. Lauren Briggs, 25, from Corringham, Essex, spent an evening having fun with her friends in a hot tub in January this year. But she woke up the next day unable to breath and was rushed to hospital. There, she was diagnosed with life-threatening blood infection meningococcal septicaemia. While doctors were able to save her life, Ms Briggs had to undergo an amputation of her right leg below the knee and the toes on her left leg - leaving her wheelchair bound. Medics then told Ms Briggs that the hot tub could have been the cause of her infection. She said she was 'devastated' after lifting up her hospital bed covers to see her amputated leg - and now feels 'trapped' in her own body. Lauren Briggs, 25, (left) from Corringham, Essex, spent an evening having fun with her friends in a hot tub in January this year. But she woke up the next day unable to breath and was rushed to hospital. She had to have her leg and all her toes amputated (right) Medics told Ms Briggs that the hot tub (pictured left, in the hot tub with her friend) could have been the cause of her infection. Miss Briggs (left, in hospital) was diagnosed with life-threatening blood infection meningococcal septicaemia. She had her leg amputated (right) Miss Briggs (left, before her illness, and right, during her stay in hospital) said she was 'devastated' after lifting up her hospital bed covers to see her amputated leg - and now feels 'trapped' in her own body. WHAT IS MENINGOCOCCAL SEPTICAEMIA? Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Anyone can be affected but at-risk people include those aged under five, 15-to-24 and above the age of 45. People exposed to passive smoking or with suppressed immune systems, such as patients undergoing chemotherapy, are also more at risk. The most common forms of meningitis are bacterial and viral. Bacterial meningitis requires urgent treatment at hospital with antibiotics. Some 10 percent of bacterial cases are fatal. Of those who survive, one in three suffer complications, including brain damage and hearing loss. Meningococcal septicemia - a type of meningitis bacteria - can cause septicemia. The bacteria multiplies after entering the blood stream. This damages the walls of the blood vessels which, in turn, causes bleeding to the skin and organs. Fever and chills Fatigue Vomiting Cold hands and feet Severe aches or pain Dark purple rash. She explained: 'The night before, I had been in my friend's hot tub and doctors told me I may have contracted the infection through a small cut on my foot whilst in the hot tub. 'Hot tubs are filled with bacteria so it's likely that could have been the cause. 'I went to sleep that night feeling a bit nauseous but my friend found me in the early hours of the next morning gasping for breath on the floor. 'The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital wondering what was going on. 'I was put on life support and was completely dependent on the machines for 48 hours. 'My feet were jet black; they did multiple skin grafts from my left thigh to rebuild my feet but in the end, they couldn't save my right leg or toes and they had to be amputated to save my life'. Her mother, Tracey, 58, added: 'I went straight to the hospital when I found out what had happened and when I arrived, I didn't recognise my own daughter because she was so swollen and blue. 'I thought they had taken me to the wrong window. 'When I saw her I fell to the floor and begged God to save her and not to let her go. 'She's my only child - she's my baby and doctors told me it was unlikely she would survive longer than 48 hours. 'They would regularly take Lauren down to theatre to clean the feet up and check everything and on this one particular day, she was in there all day and I knew something must have been happening. 'When I found out about the amputations, I dropped down on the floor again because I knew how this would impact her quality of life.' Miss Briggs was discharged on April 30 and her life changed completely. She used to live at home with her mother, but Miss Briggs now needs to stay in specialist accommodation that can cater for her wheelchair. She is currently fundraising after being left unable to work as a GP receptionist due to her condition. Her illness left her with a severe speech impairment. Miss Briggs added: 'I had no idea about the amputations because I felt like I still had both my feet - I lifted the covers up and saw and was devastated. Miss Briggs (her legs after the amputations, pictured) was discharged on April 30 and her life changed completely. Stardom by Jo Briggs. Published: 14:48 BST, 1 January 2015 | Updated: 22:09 BST, 1 January 2015. The first wife of Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs has died aged 75, just a year after the criminal husband with whom she went into hiding in Australia also passed away. Charmian Brent was 17 when she met Biggs, then 27 and already a petty criminal, on a commuter train in 1957 - and her school headmaster father forbade her from seeing him. His advice was well-founded. Six years later Biggs would become the most notorious figure in the 1963 raid which stole £2.6million of banknotes from a Glasgow to London mail train. Scroll down for video. Death: Charmian Brent (left) was 17 when she met Biggs (right), then 27 and already a petty criminal, on a commuter train in 1957. The pair are pictured together two years before their 1976 divorce. Fugitives: Biggs (left in 1992) and his wife (right) fled to Australia where they lived together for three years. Despite insisting the first she knew of his crime was when he came home with a six-figure share of the loot, Mrs Biggs stuck by her husband. When he fled to Australia on a false passport after breaking out of prison - stopping on the way in Paris for £40,000 of plastic surgery - she waited until he had settled and then joined him. RELATED ARTICLES. Share this article. They lived together in Perth and Melbourne for three years under false names and had a third child. Having run a boarding house when he arrived in Australia under the name Terry King, Biggs took a job as a foreman carpenter at a Melbourne airport in the name of Cooke. But in 1969, Interpol were tipped off and Biggs fled to Brazil. Despite everything, Charmian remained on good terms with her husband after their 1976 divorce - triggered by him fathering a son with another woman in his new country. Audacious: The raiders escaped with £2.6million but left the train's driver with permanent injuries. Couple: Ronnie Biggs was ten years Charmian's senior when the met on a commuter train in 1957. If it was a love match, it was also a marriage of convenience. Once Biggs' new lover Raimunda de Castro was pregnant, he became immune from extradition as the father of a Brazilian child. When the robber died in December 2013 - 12 years after he finally returned to Britain and jail amid ailing health - his Brazilian-born son revealed his first wife would receive a third of his ashes. In the robber's typically unrepentant style, another third of the ashes were to be spread over the scene of the crime at Bridego Bridge in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire. Charmian was allowed to stay in Australia with their children, later revealing her husband had spent all his loot, a lot of it in 'bribes and hush money'. After their 1976 divorce she sold her story to an Australian media group for a reported £40,000, the first of many such deals. She was also paid an undisclosed consultancy fee for the ITV series Mrs Biggs in 2012, which chronicled her relationship with one of Britain's most notorious criminals. Controversial: The former Mrs Biggs, pictured in 1996, sold her story about her life with him several times. Dramatised: Payments included a consultant's fee for the ITV drama Mrs Biggs, made in 2012 (pictured) The payouts sparked an outcry and left a particularly bitter taste in the mouth of the Jack Mills' widow. He was the train driver who stopped to investigate rail signals which Biggs' gang had fixed, and was knocked out by an iron bar forcing him to give up work. He died seven years later. Following an outcry over Charmian Biggs 'cashing in' on her husband's crime the Daily Mail sponsored a fund to help Mills's family, raising more than £34,000 by the time of his death. Gesture: Biggs a few months before his death at the funeral of the robbery's mastermind Bruce Reynolds. The former Mrs Biggs insisted she was publicity-shy, and swore in an interview more than a decade ago that she would say her final public words about her ex-husband's crime. 'I was never that way inclined,' she said at the time. 'I was horrified that Ron had endangered our future happiness and the happiness of two little children by participating in it. 'But once it had happened, I tried to do the right thing by him.' In one of her last interviews in 2012, the former Mrs Biggs - who reverted to her maiden name of Brent - said the train robber had 'abandoned' her two sons to focus on his Brazilian child, Michael. Yet she still admitted she would 'probably do it all over again' if she was given the chance. And she never truly found love again in the four decades after her divorce. 'Once you’ve been through that, you don’t lay yourself open to it again,' she told Radio Times. 'You don’t put your fate in somebody else’s hands ever again. He was a hard act to follow.' The last time she met up with Biggs was in Britain in 2009, the year he was controversially granted compassionate release on health grounds. He had suffered several strokes and could only communicate using a letter board. 'He saw that I had tears in my eyes,' she said. 'He pointed at himself and then his little board and spelt out the words "love" and then pointed at me. Ms Brent died at Melbourne's Epworth Hospital on December 11. She is survived by two sons and four grandchildren. 'CRIME OF THE CENTURY': HOW GANG STOLE £2.6MILLION FROM MAIL TRAIN. The country was left stunned after a train was hijacked and robbed 35 miles from its London destination in August 1963. A 17-strong gang launched the raid on the overnight service from Glasgow at the Bridego Railway Bridge in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire in the early hours of August 8 in what has been dubbed the 'crime of the century'. Led by the charismatic Bruce Reynolds, the group of criminals pulled off the notorious heist, making off with £2.6million - the equivalent of £40million today. The train was stopped at a set of fixed signals which the gang had switched, leading driver Jack Mills to go and investigate. He was knocked out by an iron bar wielded by an unknown member of the gang, forcing him to give up work, and he died seven years later. Following an outcry over Charmian Biggs cashing in on her husband's crime, the Daily Mail sponsored a fund to help Mills's family, raising more than £34,000 by the time of his death. The bulk of the huge haul has never been recovered. The gang shared out the proceeds at isolated Leatherslade Farm - Biggs taking around £148,000 - but thereafter things started to go badly wrong, with nearly all the gang members being rounded up by the police. In fact, the Leatherslade Farm hide-out was a huge mistake on the part of the gang. The police were telling reporters that they were looking for an isolated farm which had just changed hands and which was 25 miles from the scene of the crime. Leatherslade met every one of these requirements. When the gang became aware that the police were hot on their scent, they quit the farm hurriedly, leaving behind scores of tell-tale fingerprints. Most of the ringleaders were quickly rounded up, and 11 of the robbers got jail sentences ranging from 14 to 30 years.