Bob Crow, one of Britain's most prominent and firebrand trade union leaders, died today.
Crow, 52, general secretary of Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT), died at Whipps Cross hospital in Leytonstone, east London, after suffering an aneurysm and a "massive" heart attack, the BBC said, adding, medics worked for an hour to save his life.
RMT, in a statement today said, "It is with the deepest regret that RMT has to confirm that our general secretary Bob Crow sadly passed away in the early hours of this morning."
The often controversial general secretary of the RMT had been at the forefront of a series of recent strikes to secure the best deal for transport workers.
The socialist leader had led the underground and railway workers union since 2002, and oversaw a series of strike actions over pay and conditions.
The basic pay for Tube drivers rose to more than 50,000 pounds under him, with generous compensation for working on public holidays.
The union's membership grew during his 12-year-leadership and made a return of hundreds of thousands of pounds a year on stock market investments.
He recently led a 48-hour walkout over plans to close ticket offices.
London mayor Boris Johnson, who regularly had very public clashes with Crow, said, "I'm shocked. Bob Crow was a fighter and a man of character. Whatever our political differences - and there were many -this is tragic news."
"Bob fought tirelessly for his beliefs and his members. There can be absolutely no doubt that he played a big part in the success of the Tube and shared my goal to make transport in London an even greater success. It's a sad day", he added.
Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London said, "His members are one of the few groups of working class people who have still got well-paid jobs. With the passage of time people will come to see that people like Bob Crow did a very good job.
