Rolf Harris has died aged 93.
The Australian intercourse offender, who loved a decades-long profession in showbiz till his arrest on indecent assault costs in 2013, died after a battle with neck most cancers.
It comes about two weeks after an ambulance was photographed outdoors his UK dwelling, with stories he had been gravely in poor health since he left jail in 2017.
In late 2022, it was first revealed Harris had been severely unwell and struggled to speak with individuals.
Harris lived with spouse of 65 years, Alwen Hughes, 91, who has Alzheimer’s illness. The couple wanted around the clock care.
Talking to Daily Mail, non-public investigator and creator William Merritt mentioned Harris was gravely in poor health when he noticed him final 12 months.
“Rolf has been very sick. When I saw him he was able to speak to me. He was with it, but he was obviously unwell,” he mentioned.
A neighbour additionally mentioned Harris’ well being had declined after the dying of his poodle, Bumble, final 12 months.
“Only carers and nurses, who care for him 24 hours, come and go. I’m told he can’t eat anymore,” they mentioned.
Harris was born in 1930 in Bassendean, in Perth’s north east.
He was a champion swimmer in his youth earlier than shifting to London within the early ‘50s, where he studied art.
After getting early gigs working as a performer and illustrator for the BBC and ITV, he became internationally famous for his art and music.
His most well-known hit was the Australian-inspired song, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, released in 1957.
In 2005, the late Queen Elizabeth II sat for a portrait with him.
At the height of his career, Harris received multiple awards and honours, most of which were stripped. He had been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1968, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), in which he was later advanced to Officer (AO) in 2012.
In 2013, he was arrested as part of a UK police investigation into a series of sexual offences. He was also accused of making indecent images of children.
After standing trial in June 2014, Harris was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault against four teenage girls between 1968 and 1986, one of which he later appealed. He was sentenced to a jail term of five years and nine months.
He was released from Stafford Prison in England’s midlands in mid-2017 after three years behind bars, and was hardly ever seen in public afterwards.
He stood trial once more in mid-2017 for separate instances of sexual assault, involving seven complainants who have been aged between 12 and 27 on the time of the alleged incidents. He was discovered not responsible on three counts, and was finally cleared after the jury failed to achieve a verdict on 4 different counts.
Source: www.news.com.au
