Mark "Chopper" Read has died, aged 56, after a lengthy battle with liver cancer.
A former gang leader, Read found fame after publishing a book of his memoirs from prison, and has since become a successful crime writer and columnist. He has been portrayed in various films and TV shows, most notably 2000’s Chopper, with Eric Bana playing Read.
After revealing his diagnosis in April, he said while some people “say there's no way out of it” his prognosis differed depending on whom he talked to. He had four tumours on his liver and was given weeks to live.
“Some reckon you've got six weeks, some reckon you've got six months, some reckon if you're looked after you could have as long as six years,” he said.
“As long as the bleeding stops, I don't give a bugger.”
He later tweeted that he felt “OK” and would be “ready to rock n roll” after undergoing surgery.
Read told ABC Radio in 2009 that he wasn’t going to ask for a liver transplant after contracting cirrhosis, saying, “It’s not fair… I’m 55 years old, I’m not going to put my name down against some 10-year-old kid”.
Read has previously said he contracted hepatitis C after using shared razor blades in prison.
3 News
source: newshub archive
