Beatles manager Brian Epstein was blackmailed by the Krays after they were handed “compromising” photos of him.
The claim is made in a new book about Epstein, Hide Your Love Away, based on information from his ex-lover Larry Stanton.
The book alleges the gangster twins were bitter after their bid to take over managing The Beatles failed.
Reggie Kray had “compromising photos” of Epstein with other men given to him by another of his ex-lovers, Diz Gillespie.
The book states: “Reggie approached him at a club and told him he knew all about his little escapades with his ‘boy-toy Diz’. Reggie also mentioned that he had compromising photos of Brian that he received from Diz.
Brian Epstein died at the age of 32 from an overdose (Image: Mirrorpix)
“A shockwave went through Brian’s body! Sex photos in the hands of the Kray twins made his heart stop beating. He could only assume the worst-case scenario.”
Epstein managed The Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967, aged 32, from a drugs overdose.
The alleged photos would have been a bombshell for Epstein, as his sexuality wasn’t publicly known until after his death, though was an open secret among his friends.
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The Kray twins had sexual photos of Epstein (Image: Getty Images)
There had been reports of a sexual encounter between Epstein and John Lennon during a 1963 trip to Barcelona, but Lennon always denied it.
He told Playboy 17 years later: “Well, it was almost a love affair, but not quite.
“It was never consummated … but we did have a pretty intense relationship.”
He was often referred to as the “Fifth Beatle”, alongside band members Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Before his death, Epstein had also managed the likes of Cilla Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Tommy Quickly and Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas.
One of his biggest miscalculations while managing The Beatles had been that he hadn’t predicted just how in demand the band would be when he took them Stateside.
The clean-cut foursome were inundated with merchandising offers in America, but Epstein had already signed away 90% of the rights in advance.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
