Rolf Harris said some poignant last words to his daughter while on his deathbed earlier this year. Back in May, it was announced that the convicted paedophile had died at the age of 93 after a long battle with neck cancer.
The disgraced TV presenter's death was confirmed by a registrar at Maidenhead Town Hall. Harris has not spoken in public since his release from prison in 2019 and lived a reclusive life with his family since. He died surrounded by his family and loved ones after battling cancer for several years and having 24/7 around-the-clock care.
Before passing away, Harris spoke with his daughter Bindi and asked her to do one thing for him after he dies. The fallen TV presenter asked his daughter to look after her mother as he spoke with a feeding tube in the days before his passing at his house in Berkshire, England, on May 10. "I always believed we would go on longer together but, if I go first, promise you'll take good care of your mum," he said.
Rolf Harris with his wife Alwen and their daughter Bindi (WireImage)His wife, Alwen is currently receiving 24-hour nursing care and is in the latter stages of Alzheimer's, The Daily Telegraph reports. Alwen still resides at the family home in Berkshire, in South West England, and is believed to not understand of her husband's passing.
Harris first met his wife in the early 1950s while they both attended art school in Kennington. The pair later married at St Saviour's Church in Paddington in 1958. It was reported last year that Harris was ill with neck cancer and was unable to talk but the neighbour, a friend of Harris', said she last spoke to him about six months ago and he was able to speak. “I know he has been ill for some time. He used to be out in his garden from time to time.” She said he was the 'life and soul' of residents’ street parties.
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Harris was said to be ' gravely ill' and receiving round-the-clock care from nurses and carers on a daily basis before his death. Author William Merritt previously confirmed Harris was 'gravely sick' and claimed it was difficult to understand him when he communicates. Harris was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to five years and nine months in jail for 12 indecent assaults on four underage girls between 1968 and 1986. He was released from prison in 2017 – part-way through a re-trial on four accusations of indecent assault.
Disgraced Australian artist and entertainer Rolf Harris died in May 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)In November 2017, he appeared at the Court of Appeal in London to try and overturn his convictions and had one overturned. However, the other 11 convictions remain. The former TV star reportedly hired a private investigator, who was said to be gathering 'dirt' to discredit his victims. However, in 2019, it was reported the disgraced TV personality had decided to abandon the bid to clear his name.
Since his conviction, he had kept an incredibly low profile. Harris was born in Perth, Australia, and was a junior champion in backstroke as a schoolboy. He moved to the UK when he was 22 and lived in Bray, Berkshire before his death.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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