Australian-born entertainer Rolfe Harris, who dishonorably ended his decades-long career on British television after being convicted of sexually abusing a teenage girl, died in the UK on 10 May. He died at his home in Berkshire. he was 93 years old.
His family announced the death in a statement released on Tuesday. The PA reported that the cause of death was neck cancer and “old age” on the death certificate.
Harris’ British TV career, which spanned six decades, fell apart in 2013 when he was arrested and charged with a total of 12 assaults on four girls between 1968 and 1986. He was later sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. His conviction for assaulting an 8-year-old girl who was a sign hunter was later overturned, although the girls ranged in age from 8 to 19 at the time of the crime.
One of Harris’s victims was a close friend of Harris’s own daughter, Bindi. He was convicted of molesting a girl for six years, starting when she was 13.
Judge Nigel Sweeney told Mr. Harris in his 2014 ruling that “your reputation has been tarnished and your honor stripped, but you have no one to blame but yourself.”
“You show no remorse for your crime,” he added.
Harris died without apologizing to his victims.
Mr. Harris was born on March 30, 1930, in the suburbs of Perth, Australia, the son of Welsh immigrants Agnes Margaret and Cromwell Harris. He moved to the UK when he was 22 to study at the City and Guilds of London Art School. “I was just confident,” he later said. He made his first BBC appearance in 1953, drawing cartoons on a children’s television show.
This kicked off a storied career that included everything from global hits to light-hearted TV shows that showcased his skills as an improviser (think the British version of Bob Ross).
“Do you still know what it is?” he brought the canvas to life and became his famous catchphrase. It also became the title of his autobiography, published in 2001.
Harris, one of Britain’s most famous artists, was once commissioned to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II to mark her 80th birthday in 2005, but her whereabouts remain unknown. do not have. source of great mystery. The painting was previously voted the second favorite portrait of the Queen in a poll by the British public, but received a remarkably cold reception from critics.
“I was more nervous than anything else,” Harris told the British press in 2008 about two meetings with the king. “I was panicking.”
As a musician, he was known for using a wide variety of instruments, including the didgeridoo and the so-called wobbleboard he invented. He featured it on his most famous song. “Tie up the kangaroo, sport” A novel number written in 1957 by an Australian securities man’s dying wish.
His 1963 re-recording of the song, which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, catapulted him to stardom in the United States.In the same year he Recorded a version with the Beatles For a BBC radio show, each band member’s name is playfully incorporated into the lyrics. (“Pet Dingo, don’t abuse me, Ringo.”)
The song’s original fourth verse caused controversy due to the use of the word “abo”, a derogatory slang term for Australian Aborigines.The verse was included in Mr. Harris’ first recording of the song, but was omitted in later versions, after which he expressed regret about the lyrics.
His career was culminated a decade ago after several senior media personalities were arrested as part of the British police investigation “Operation Youtree” sparked by the sex abuse scandal of TV host Jimmy Saville. As a single person, the curtain closed in a disgraceful manner. Among others convicted as part of the investigation were Britain’s most famous publicist Max Clifford and former BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall.
After Harris’ conviction in 2014, he was stripped of the honors he’d been bestowed over his career and reruns of his television show were taken off the air.
He was released on parole in 2017 after serving three years in prison and has since retired to his parents’ home in Bray, Berkshire, a quaint village on the Thames west of London. Bray is said to have more millionaires than any other small town in England.
Harris’ survivors include his daughter Bindi Harris and his wife Arwen Hughes. The two met in art school, married in 1958, and she and his daughter stayed with him throughout his trial and prison sentence.
After Harris was sentenced in 2014, Judge Sweeney found him a criminal of fame manipulation.
“You took advantage of the credibility you had because you’re a celebrity,” he said.
At the time, Harris’ attorney, Sonia Woodley, pleaded with the judge to be lenient because of her age.
“He’s already on time,” she said.
