When Rolf Harris died at 93, he ended his life as a convicted child abuser. Since his release from prison in 2017, after serving almost three years, he had lived as a virtual recluse with his wife of 64 years, Alwen Hughes. He had neck cancer, and the only visitors to their house in Bray, Berkshire were carers and nurses.
It was a long way from his days as a national treasure. Once, the artist, musician and entertainer had spent much of his time visiting Buckingham Palace to collect a series of honours. He made two appearances on the UK version of This Is Your Life and performed his music at high-profile gigs across the country. His paintings, which once fetched six-figure sums, can now be picked up for a fraction of their former value.
Harris, who was born and grew up in Australia, first appeared on British television in the mid-50s, a few years after arriving in the UK to study art. “No one really cared about children’s TV in those days,” he once said. “You were able to learn your trade and make mistakes. If you had any nous, you could learn what to do, and that’s what I did.”
His eccentric approach on The Rolf Harris Show saw him create art in front of child participants, usually humming, burbling and whistling as he did so. He never let on what he was painting or drawing, allowing the image to take shape until it suddenly became apparent – to the surprise of everyone watching. The programme was broadcast on the BBC for seven years, from 1967 to 1974.
He also introduced the didgeridoo, an Indigenous Australian wind instrument, to the British public, and invented the wobble board, using it to create the 1960 hit Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. His version of Two Little Boys was the Christmas No 1 in 1969, topping the charts for six weeks.
Harris was awarded an MBE in 1968, an OBE in 1977 and a CBE in 2006. The BBC commissioned him to paint the Queen’s portrait for her 80th birthday that year and broadcast a programme, The Queen, By Rolf, to accompany it. In 2010, he appeared at Glastonbury and Bestival, while a national exhibition tour, A Life in Art, marked his 80th birthday.
Four years later, it all came crashing down. Harris was jailed for five years and nine months after being found guilty of indecently assaulting four girls and young women. One of his victims was the best friend of his daughter, Bindi. He had groomed the girl, who was 35 years his junior, since she was 13. (One of the 12 counts on which he was convicted was later overturned.)
The judge in the case told him: “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.”
After his conviction, others came forward. Vanessa Feltz, the television and radio presenter, said she was assaulted by Harris in May 1996 while interviewing him live for the On the Bed segment of Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast.
The singer Linda Nolan said Harris had molested her in 1975, when she was 15, while she and her sisters were supporting him on a tour of South Africa.
Maggie Barry, a New Zealand politician, said Harris had groped her in the mid-80s when she was a radio reporter.
Harris was stripped of his CBE on the orders of the Queen and stripped of the Order of Australia by the country’s governor general. He was also erased from a giant painting of Australia’s showbiz greats.
Coming after the revelations of abuse by other stars, including Jimmy Savile and Gary Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, Harris’s conviction prompted further collective remorse about an era when sexual impropriety and crimes were too often brushed out of sight. After his release from prison, Harris made no further public appearances.
