No amount of popularity, creativity, and money can transform an individual if they are a criminal at heart.
Similarly, it’s futile to discuss Rolf Harris net worth since his tainted reputation and proven crimes made him the least desirable artist of all times.
After living a life full of controversies with a blemished reputation, the disgraced entertainer departed from this world at age 93.
Although his death was announced on May 23rd, 2023, some sources reported that Harris actually passed away two weeks before his death was officially reported.
The scandalous artist was gravely ill as a result of neck cancer.
According to Harris’ death certificate, he died on May 10th from cancer and old age. It also stated that the late entertainer’s body was to be cremated.
The deceased artist’s family said in a statement that he passed away peacefully at his £7m home in Bray, Berkshire, surrounded by loved ones and friends.
As of October 2022, Harris was receiving round-the-clock care for his metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the neck.
In the months preceding his demise, he had completely stopped talking and was being fed through a tube.
His death was confirmed by the registrar at Maidenhead Town Hall.
Moving forward, let’s take a look at the beginning and disgraced end of Rolf Harris’ career.
Who was Rolf Harris?
Rolf Harris was a multi-talented and much-loved artist before his criminal activities came to light. He was a talented musician, painter, TV host, and comedian.
He precisely worked as a kid’s entertainer and earned much love and recognition due to his hilarious shows.
Harris was born on March 30, 1930, in Perth, Western Australia. In his early twenties, he moved to the United Kingdom and got enrolled at City and Guilds of London Art School.
He began his career in the 1960s and got the opportunity to present shows such as Rolf’s Cartoon Time, Rolf’s Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital.
Rolf Harris rose to fame with the release of his hit song ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.’
Very soon, he became a renowned and cherished star in the UK and often appeared on shows alongside Jimmy Savile.
His famous catchphrase ‘can you tell what is it yet?’, which he used while drawing a picture, always gave rise to an air of excitement amongst the audience.
Harris’ fame skyrocketed when he painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace to commemorate her 80th birthday in 2005.
Moreover, Rolf Harris had the pleasure of performing at the Glastonbury Festival in 2010 and at the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012.
Before the public became aware of his horrible criminal tendencies, each of his original paintings earned him upto 30,000 pounds.
Such magnificent performances contributed significantly to Rolf Harris net worth and before his criminal side was unleashed, the late artist was lucky enough to build a fortune for himself.
Despite having so much fame, money, and success, Harris committed some unforgivable crimes which plummeted his legacy.
What was Rolf Harris accused of?
After spending almost five decades in the entertainment industry, Harris’ fame and life legacy came crashing down after he was investigated and ultimately convicted of indecent assault against four girls in 2014.
The alleged attacks dated back to the 1980s. In June 2014, Harris was convicted of 12 counts of indecent s*xual assault. Furthermore, he was also charged with four counts of producing indecent child images.
Harris’ crimes were indecent to the point that one of the victims of his indecent s*xual conduct was just seven or eight years old.
His trial heard that one of the victims was a childhood friend of his daughter and another a young autograph hunter.
Rolf Harris was labeled a pedophile, and rightly so. The judge ruling on Harris’ case, Mr. Justice Sweeney, told him: “Your reputation lies in ruins. You have been stripped of your honours and you have no-one to blame but yourself.”
The judge added that the artist had taken benefit of his celebrity status and had no guilt or remorse for his gut-wrenching crimes.
In 2014, he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. On the basis of an unidentified reason, Harris was released from jail in May 2017, after serving just three years out of his almost six years long sentence.
Later that year, Harris appeared at the Court of Appeal in London to try and overturn his 2014 convictions.
He had one conviction overturned following his appeal, but the other 11 remained undismissed.
Since his release, he stayed out of the public eye and did not dare to make an appearance in his defense.
What was Rolf Harris net worth at the time of his death?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Harris had an estimated net worth of $19 million. Although he earned that money through legal means, his money had zero value after his crimes came to light and he was subsequently imprisoned.
Rolf Harris wife & children
The disgraced entertainer is survived by his wife, Alwen Hughes. They tied the knot in 1958, a couple of years before Harris made his debut in the entertainment industry.
During the course of their sixty+ year’s long marriage, Harris and Hughes were blessed with only one child, a daughter named Bindi Harris.
Rolf Harris daughter and wife have made no comments regarding his demise. His daughter Bindi, however, did make a statement when her father’s long-running relationship with her inseparable childhood playmate was disclosed.
‘It was just horrible, It felt like the whole world had changed in an instant,’ she told Southwark Crown Court in London.
Rolf Harris net worth, legacy, crimes, and infamy all have been buried under the soil, just like his body.
