Rolf Harris: From beloved TV presenter to serial paedophile
The disgraced entertainer, who has died at the age of 93, sexually assaulted girls aged between eight and 19
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Australian sex offender Rolf Harris has died aged 93, after being diagnosed with neck cancer in 2022.
His family said Harris had "died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest".
The former entertainer, who was living in a £5 million home in Berkshire with his wife at the time of his death, was released from prison in 2017 after serving three years in prison for a series of sexual assaults against girls aged between eight and 19 years old.
According to reports, Harris had become increasingly frail in the lead up to his death, requiring constant care and needing to be fed via a tube.
Maidenhead Town Hall registrars confirmed Harris died of neck cancer and old age on 10 May, PA reported.
His wife, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, is believed to be receiving home care in the wake of Harris' death.
Who is Rolf Harris?
The 93-year-old from Bassendean in Perth, Western Australia, was a hugely popular musician, painter, comedian and TV presenter.
He was known for his musical performances that featured the didgeridoo and the wobble board, and his hit songs, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport and Two Little Boys.
He became a popular TV personality in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s and went on to present shows such as Rolf's Cartoon Time, Rolf's Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital. He was known for his catchphrase, "Can you tell what it is yet?", which he would say while drawing a picture.
In 1985, Harris presented a child abuse prevention video called Kids Can Say No!
In 2005, Harris painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for her 80th birthday.
Harris performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2010 and at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012.
What was Rolf Harris convicted of?
In the wake of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal which broke in 2012, Harris was arrested as part of the Operation Yewtree police investigation.
Harris was initially arrested in March 2013 for questioning over allegations of sexual offences, but was bailed without charge.
In August 2013, he was arrested again and later charged with 12 counts of indecent assault against four girls, aged eight to 19, between 1968 and 1986.
Seven of the charges related to a sexual relationship between Harris and one of his daughter Bindi's friends. Six of those charges related to when she was between the ages of 13 and 15, and the seventh when she was 19.
Three charges related to the assault of a 15-year-old Australian girl who visited the UK in 1986.
The 12th charge was that Harris assaulted an eight-year-old girl who asked for his autograph at a community centre in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in 1969.
Harris was found guilty of all 12 counts of indecent assault in June 2014. He was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, told Harris at Southwark Crown Court: "You have shown no remorse for your crimes at all.
"Your reputation now lies in ruins, you have been stripped of your honours but you have no one to blame but yourself."
In January 2017, Harris faced another trial, and appeared by video link from Stafford Prison because of his age and poor health, although he did not give any evidence. He pleaded not guilty to seven charges of indecent assault.
He was acquitted of three charges and the judge discharged the jury from deliberating on the remaining four counts.
In November that year, Harris's previous conviction that he had indecently assaulted an eight-year-old girl at a community centre in Hampshire in 1969 was overturned on the grounds that it was "unsafe".
However, judges at the Court of Appeal dismissed applications by Harris to challenge the other 11 convictions.
Harris was released from prison in May 2017 after serving three years of his sentence, and returned to his home in Berkshire.
Watch: Rolf Harris arrives home after leaving prison
