How did Tommy's daughter die in Peaky Blinders? Details about Ruby's death, explored

One of the most heartbreaking moments in Tommy Shelby’s life in Peaky Blinders came with the tragic death of his daughter Ruby Shelby. Her loss marks a major turning point in the series which revealed a softer and more vulnerable side of the usually cold and calculating gang leader.

Ruby’s illness not only shatters Tommy emotionally but also pushes him into a spiral of guilt and superstition as he searches for answers beyond the realm of medicine. Her death serves as a painful reminder that even power and wealth can’t shield one from fate or personal tragedy.

While there were many underlying thematic and superstitious reasons behind Ruby's death in Peaky Blinders Season 6 Episode 3 Gold, she died because of consumption. Consumption, which is now termed Tuberculosis, was prevalent in the 19th century and was also referred to as 'white death'. Consumption disease was contagious and the term was used to describe various lung-related infections and complications.

More on Ruby's death in Peaky Blinders in our story.

Exploring the symbolic significance of Ruby's death in Peaky Blinders

Till the time Peaky Blinders reaches its final chapter in Season 6, Tommy Shelby is craving to become a better man and leave his criminal life behind. While Grace's death had already changed him for the worse, leading to his harrowing mental condition and war-induced PTSD episodes, he carried guilt and regret in his heart.

Tommy might have married Grace and dreamt of having a normal and happy family life with her, but like a true fallen hero, he was never granted that happiness completely. Just when he was about to start his happily ever after with Grace, she took a bullet meant for him and died.

After much struggle and a devastating period of mourning, Tommy started anew with Lizzie and welcomed his daughter, Ruby, in Peaky Blinders Season 4. While Tommy could not love Lizzie like he loved Grace, he adored his daughter as much as he had adored his first son. However, tragedy strikes again and Ruby starts having visions and hallucinations.

While Tommy worked up the reasons behind Ruby's visions and tried to lift her curse, she tragically died in the hospital. In Peaky Blinders Season 6, Lizzie informs Tommy that their daughter Ruby had died due to consumption, but the Birmingham leader was convinced that it was his haunting past catching up to him.

The gypsy curse and its connection to Ruby's death

While there were scientific reasons behind Ruby's death, Tommy also believed in gypsy lore. Her visions of the 'green-eyed man', 'grey man' and the repeated chantings of gypsy words 'tickna mora o'beng' (meaning devil) had Tommy convinced that Ruby was sick because of the gypsy curse.

In his desperation, Tommy asks John's widow Esme to help him lift the curse from Ruby. This gypsy curse initially originated from Grace's sapphire, gifted to her by Tommy in Peaky Blinders Season 3. However, when Tommy learned about the cursed nature of the sapphire, he quietly left the gem with a gyspy woman named Bethany Barwell.

While Tommy believed that he had outlived the cursed sapphire, it found his family again. Bethany gave it to her sister Evadne, who further put it around her 7-year-old daughter Connie, who tragically died the next day (because of the sapphire). In revenge, Evadne put the curse back on Tommy to lose his daughter when she turns seven. While Tommy managed to discover the truth about Ruby's curse in Peaky Blinders Season 6, he could not lift it in time and she died in the hospital when he was away.

Ruby's death and the surrounding gypsy myth around her are symbolic of Tommy's heritage and his own superstitious beliefs about his ancestry. Just like the curse, Tommy was unable to escape from his past sins and never found peace after Ruby and Grace's deaths.

Peaky Blinders is streaming on Netflix.

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