Rolf Harris, the veteran entertainer whose decades-long career as a family favorite on British and Australian television was shattered when he was found guilty of sexually assaulting girls, has died. He was 93.
His death was confirmed Tuesday by a town clerk in Maidenhead, west London, to Britain’s Press Association news agency.
Harris, who had a hit record with «Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport,» was adored by generations of children for his jovial on-screen persona, and was so respected in Britain that he was once granted the rare privilege of painting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
But his reputation came crashing down in 2013, when he was arrested in Britain in connection with allegations of sexual abuse.
Many were incredulous when, in July 2014, Harris was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault against four girls between the 1960s and 1980s. Prosecutors said he had a «Jekyll and Hyde» persona who used his fame to exploit to their victims.
Among the victims was a friend of Harris’s daughter, who claimed that he abused her when she was between the ages of 13 and 19. Harris had said his relationship was consensual and that his family and friends supported him throughout the trial.
But a jury found him guilty on all counts and a judge sentenced him to five years and nine months in prison.
Harris had enjoyed a 60-year career as a successful television host, songwriter, and artist. She was best known for her children’s television shows, such as «Rolf’s Cartoon Time» and «Animal Hospital,» and had several hit songs in the 1960s.
Born in 1930, Harris grew up in a suburb of Perth, Australia, and was an award-winning swimmer as a teenager. After several failed attempts at art school, Harris launched her television career with a spot on a BBC show in 1952.
As well as hosting children’s shows, Harris was also known in the 1960s for performing popular songs such as «Two Little Boys», which became Britain’s number one Christmas hit.
In the 2000s, he was considered by many to be something of a national treasure: the queen posed for a portrait he painted in 2005 to mark his 80th birthday, and he headlined a concert celebrating the monarch’s Diamond Jubilee outside the Palace. Buckingham in 2012. .
After his conviction, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which had described Harris as «one of the world’s most iconic entertainers», said it would withdraw his scholarship.