Rolf Harris, the Australian-born entertainer, composer and painter who became a household name in the UK. He died at 93, and it was a long battle with neck cancer. As iconic as his homey yet flamboyant television and arena megastar persona were his musical productions. Yet, he departs with a complicated legacy of artistic triumphs and deadly criminal felonies.
Harris rose to international star status in the 1950s with novelty hits such as “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.” His song “Two Little Boys” was at number one in the UK charts for six weeks. On top of his successful musical career, he hosted dozens of hit, prime-time television series. Just as importantly, he shared the stage with massive, trailblazing acts like The Beatles. His stature in entertainment was recognized by many, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which referred to him as “one of the world’s most iconic entertainers.”
Harris’s good name was irreparably sullied after he was convicted of five counts of sexual misconduct. In 2014, he was finally brought to justice. He was convicted for a string of – mainly non-contact – sexual offenses against four teenage girls spanning the 1960s to 1988. The court imposed a sentence of 69 months in prison. This follows his conviction on a dozen counts of common-law indecent assault. His case highlighted how Harris leveraged his fame to exploit vulnerable individuals, revealing a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality that stood in stark contrast to his public persona.
The crimes perpetrated by Harris left fans and colleagues reeling. They had already lauded his record developing family programming in the UK and Australia. His subsequent fall from grace was a sobering reminder of the insidious underbelly of celebrity culture. Upon his release from prison, he continued to suffer debilitating health effects from neck cancer. Though he was treated with round-the-clock care, he succumbed in the end.
Leave a Reply