Rolf Harris death updates — Paedo who served prison time 'pushed boundaries' in front of wife Arwen Hughes | The Sun
DISGRACED former entertainer and convicted sex offender Rolf Harris has died at the age of 93, it has been confirmed.
Australian-born Harris was a family favourite in the UK for decades before he was convicted of 12 indecent assaults at London's Southwark Crown Court in June 2014.
These assaults included one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter's friend over 16 years.
Family friend and promoter Chris Brosnan claimed in the ITVX documentary that Harris was consistently "pushing a boundary" in front of his own family.
He said: "In front of Alwen, he’d take a woman’s hand, hold their hand and pull them in closer to them and then he would start kissing them all the way up their arm and he’d get up to their neck and then he'd be kissing their neck."
Read our Rolf Harris death blog below for the latest news…
- By Henry Moore
What was Rolf Harris' net worth?
Rolf's criminal convictions and the associated controversy significantly impacted his public image and career.
He was jailed for five years and nine months after being convicted of sexual assaults which took place between 1968 and 1986.
His paintings dropped in value after his conviction and the guide price for his art is said to have decreased by more than half its previous value.
Before his unmasking as a paedophile, his original paintings fetched up to £30,000.
The disgraced entertainer had a net worth of $19 million (around £15.3 million).
- By Henry Moore
Harris only spent three years in prison for his crimes
Harris spent nearly three years in prison, split between HMP Bullingdon and Stafford, before his release on licence.
But one letter nearly derailed his bid.
In the note, he claimed his incarceration was “no hardship really” and boasted about being “very well accepted” while enjoying time as an art teacher’s assistant.
- By Henry Moore
Rolf Harris had a twisted relationship to sex from a young age
In 1974 he told TV Times magazine: “I grew up in the belief that sex was everything that was dirty.
“I can remember getting a hiding from my mother when I was about four for doing a super drawing of a man with no clothes on.”
He casually added: “When I was 10 or 11 my mother decided I should see her naked to let me know it was all natural and everything – and we had baths together.”
- By Louis Allwood
What is neck cancer?
Head and neck cancer is an umbrella term for more than 30 areas.
This includes the mouth, lips, voice box, throat, salivary glands, nose and sinuses.
All forms are relatively uncommon, with around 12,400 new cases diagnosed in the UK every year, according to the NHS.
Most are squamous cell cancers, which occur in the outermost surface of the skin or certain tissues.
The main risk factors are tobacco and alcohol, with three out of four cases linked to use of at least one.
Head and neck cancer is also most common in people over 50, those with low immunity, people with limited exposure to sunlight, or prolonged exposure to dust and chemicals like formaldehyde.
Symptoms depend on where the cancer started and if it has spread to other areas, such as the lymph nodes as it did in Harris.
- By Louis Allwood
What type of cancer did Rolf Harris have?
Harris had cancer of the neck – specifically metastatic squamous cell carcinoma – before he died.
The disease allegedly left the shamed TV star – who served three years in prison for a string of child sex attacks – "gravely ill".
In October 2022, private investigator William Merritt, who wrote a book about Harris' trial, claimed he was being fed by tubes.
He also said Harris gargled when he spoke and was difficult to understand.
Neighbour Portia Wooderson told the Telegraph: "Only carers and nurses, who care for him 24 hours, come and go.
"I'm told he can't eat anymore."
- By Louis Allwood
Family releases statement
His family confirmed that the disgraced entertainer had died aged 93.
A statement from the family of Rolf Harris released by their solicitors said: "This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest.
"They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made."
- By Louis Allwood
Rolf Harris pictured using walking stick
The sicko was said to have needed 24-hour care in his final months after a neck cancer battle saw him struggling to walk or eat.
He was photographed in November 2020 looking sickly as he struggled to move along the pavement with a walking stick.
The paedo could be seen shuffling towards the passenger seat of a car using the cane.
- By Louis Allwood
Rolf Harris' cause of death revealed
Rolf Harris' cause of death has been revealed.
The shamed TV star died of cancer and old age at his home on May 10.
Harris – who served three years in prison for a string of child sex attacks – “has now been laid to rest”, his family said in a statement.
- By Louis Allwood
Was Rolf Harris married?
Alwen Hughes is a jeweller and sculptress who married Rolf Harris in March 1958 after the pair met in art school.
Born in Wales she is known for her eccentric clothing and her decision to have a poodle as a bridesmaid.
Alwen stuck by her disgraced husband through the proceedings and his subsequent jail term.
She has been pictured in a wheelchair and is reportedly in ill-health.
- By Louis Allwood
Inside Harris' sick crimes
In June 2014 Harris was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault.
The crimes were committed against four girls – one of whom was aged just seven or eight.
His trial heard that one of the victims was a childhood friend of his daughter and another a young autograph hunter.
Judge Mr Justice Sweeney said he had taken advantage of his celebrity status and shown "no remorse".
He would be sent to jail in 2014, only serving three years before being released in 2017.
- By Louis Allwood
Rolf's fame turned to infamy as sick crimes were discovered
Rolf Harris found fame in the 1960s with the release of his hit song Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.
He later moved to Berkshire and became a UK TV star.
The BBC even commissioned him to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 2005.
His fame turned to infamy in 2013 when he was arrested twice in connection with counts of indecent assault dating back to the 1980s.
- By Louis Allwood
Rolf Harris suffered from neck cancer
At the end of his twisted life, Rolf Harris couldn't walk or eat and needed 24-hour care.
The predator had been "gravely ill" with neck cancer in his final months, and was said to be gargling to talk and being fed by tubes.
The sex offender died aged 93 – his death was registered by his family today.
Rumours of Harris' declining health had been circling since 2019, when neighbours said the twisted man only ever left his house with his carer.
- By Louis Allwood
Rolf Harris had a twisted relationship to sex from a young age
In 1974 he told TV Times magazine: “I grew up in the belief that sex was everything that was dirty.
“I can remember getting a hiding from my mother when I was about four for doing a super drawing of a man with no clothes on.”
He casually added: “When I was 10 or 11 my mother decided I should see her naked to let me know it was all natural and everything – and we had baths together.”
- By Louis Allwood
Disturbing moment Harris taught children about 'touching'
Chilling footage showed disgraced sex offender Harris teaching kids about "touching".
The resurfaced clip shows the paedophile entertainer telling children about how to show their parents "where they didn't want to be touched".
The disturbing footage shows Harris sitting down by a tree with four kids before touching the shoulders of one and another's face.
He then says: "And it's that sort of touching I want to talk about today as it helps you to understand the sort of touching that doesn't make you feel too good."
- By Louis Allwood
Harris fooled the world with his TV persona
Disgraced Rolf Harris found fame in the 1960s with the release of his hit song Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.
He later moved to Berkshire and became a UK TV star.
The BBC even commissioned him to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 2005.
His fame turned to infamy in 2013 when he was arrested twice in connection with counts of indecent assault dating back to the 1980s.
He was also charged with four counts of producing indecent child images.
In June 2014 Harris was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault.
The crimes were committed against four girls – one of whom was aged just seven or eight.
His trial heard that one of the victims was a childhood friend of his daughter and another a young autograph hunter.
- By Louis Allwood
Who was Rolf Harris?
Details of his horrific crimes against children turned him into a despised recluse.
Harris, who famously painted Queen Elizabeth II, was stripped of his CBE and other accolades after his sickening crimes came to light as part of Operation Yewtree.
In 2014 he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison after being found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault against four underage girls.
Harris, who was released on licence nearly three years later, had one count overturned but was refused permission to appeal others by the court.
- By Louis Allwood
Harris painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth
The convicted sex offender – who coined the catchphrase “Can you tell what it is yet?” as he drew artwork on his shows – was so popular that the BBC commissioned him to paint a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 2005.
But his fame turned to infamy in 2013 when he was arrested twice in connection with attacks on children dating back to the 1980s.
He was also charged with four counts of producing indecent child images.
In June 2014, Harris was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault.
- By Louis Allwood
Rolf Harris has ALREADY been secretly cremated
Harris' death certificate has revealed the disgraced entertainer has already been secretly cremated and buried after he died of cancer.
The shamed TV star- who served three years in prison for a string of child sex attacks – died at his home aged 93.
His former PA Lisa Ratcliff registered his death today at Maidenhead Town Hall.
- By Louis Allwood
Harris only spent three years in prison for his crimes
Harris spent nearly three years in prison, split between HMP Bullingdon and Stafford, before his release on licence.
But one letter nearly derailed his bid.
In the note, he claimed his incarceration was “no hardship really” and boasted about being “very well accepted” while enjoying time as an art teacher’s assistant.
- By Louis Allwood
Harris’ neighbours moved after his release
Harris’ appeals against his convictions and subsequent return to Berkshire led three neighbours to sell their multimillion-pound homes, according to a 2017 Daily Star report.
A source close to one of the families claimed they had children so “there’s no surprise” they decided to move.
They added: “Rolf isn’t seen out and about a lot but for parents his dubious past is enough of a reason for them to want to leave.”
- By Louis Allwood
Harris was ordered not to leave house without permission from family
Harris was ordered by his family not to leave the house without their permission.
In an interview with Australian publication The Herald Sun, he claimed he gave up his legal challenges due to not having the “energy or the money” to fight.
Harris said he only left the home to collect medication for diabetes, which he has suffered with for 25 years and claimed worsened in prison.
Neighbours said his focus had switched to caring for his wife of 64 years Alwen Hughes, who is in a wheelchair and terminally ill.
- By Louis Allwood
What was the convicted sex offender's wobble board?
The instrument is played by holding the board lengthwise with the hands holding the edges and flicking the board outward, thereby making a characteristic "whoop-whoop" noise.
The angle at which the board is held, and the way the board is "flicked", can alter the timbre of the sound produced.
It is similar to the boards used to imitate the sound of thunder in the theatre in William Shakespeare's time.
- By Louis Allwood
What songs did Rolf Harris sing?
During his life, convicted paedophile Rolf Harris was known for his music and songs, as well as his artwork.
He often performed at big festivals, including Glastonbury.
Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport reached No9 in the UK charts in 1960.
He followed this with a No3 hit in 1962 with Sun Arise, which charted again in 1997 at No26.
- By Louis Allwood
Last official sighting reveals paedo TV star in wheelchair
The last photo of Rolf Harris shows the paedo in a wheelchair after neck cancer left him needing 24-hour care.
The sicko wasn't able to walk or eat in his final days as he battled neck cancer at home in Berkshire.
- By Louis Allwood
'Appropriate action' was taken after Harris was reportedly seen outside of a school
Apart from court appearances, Harris stayed out of the limelight.
However, in 2019 he was reportedly seen talking to a sculptor outside Oldfield Primary School and waving at children in a classroom.
A witness, who did not want to be named, told The Mirror: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”
Harris was asked to leave by the school’s headteacher, who explained he did not come into contact with any of the children.
Some neighbours defended the paedo, claiming it was “clearly an honest mistake” and that “his only interest was looking at some wooden sculptures”.
They said they had no issue with him living there because he was “an asset to the area” and had been “a tremendous supporter” of charity projects.
Police later confirmed they had spoken to Harris and the Ministry of Justice said “appropriate action” had been taken over the incident.
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