Rolf Harris’s fall from fame to infamy came after he was jailed for sexual assaults on young girls, including a childhood friend of his daughter and an autograph hunter.
Disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris, who became one of the UK’s biggest TV stars but was later jailed for using his fame to groom and assault young girls, has died at the age of 93.
Harris died of neck cancer and “frailty of old age” at his home in Bray, Berkshire, on 10 May, according to his death certificate. The certificate also suggested he would be cremated.
In a statement, his family said he “recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest”.
The Australian-born TV presenter was a family favourite for decades before being jailed over sexual assaults on young women, including a childhood friend of his daughter and an autograph hunter, in 2014.
He denied all the accusations but was convicted after a high-profile trial of a dozen historical indecent assaults against four girls and four charges of producing indecent child images. It wrecked his career and ruined his reputation.
Sentencing him to five years and nine months in prison, the judge said Harris had taken advantage of his celebrity status and shown no remorse.
The downfall of a national treasure
