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Rolf Harris can no longer talk or eat and needs 24-hour care after being diagnosed with neck cancer.
Neighbors and friends have confirmed that the disgraced Australian has become a children’s entertainer ‘seriously ill’ five years after his release from prison.
The convicted pedophile, 92, now lives a secluded life in the English village of Bray in Berkshire with his wife of 64, Alwen Hughes, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.
It is clear that his health has deteriorated following the sudden death of his beloved poodle earlier this year.
‘Only caretakers and nurses, who take care of him 24 hours a day, come and go. I’ve been told he can’t eat anymore,” said neighbor Portia Wooderson The Daily Telegraph.
Rolf Harris (pictured) can no longer talk or eat and needs 24-hour care after being diagnosed with neck cancer
It’s clear his health has deteriorated following the sudden death of his beloved poodle earlier this year (Harris pictured with a dog)
Private investigator and author William Merritt confirmed Harris was “seriously ill,” adding that he prefers to be alone and “don’t particularly like children” because he “hates the noise.”
But he insists Harris is still the entertainer if he wants to.
“(He) battles neck cancer and gargles when he talks. It’s hard to understand him, but he’s still the entertainer,” Mr. Merritt said.
“As soon as one of the two people enters the room, he turns back into a big boy. He’s an artistic type and he’ll try to perform on command even when he’s not feeling well.’
It is clear that Harris’ health has deteriorated in recent years and during his time behind bars he was hospitalized when his diabetes spiraled out of control.
“He is in poor health and has deteriorated rapidly. He doesn’t come out anymore and when he does, it’s always with his carer,” a neighbor said in 2019.
Rolf Harris (pictured arriving at Southwark Crown Court with daughter Bindi and niece Jenny in 2014) was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault
Rolf Harris (pictured performing in the early 1970s) was a much-loved entertainer in Australia and the UK until his arrest in 2013
Harris has not spoken publicly since his release from prison in 2017, but released a statement in Mr. Merritt Rolf Harris: The Defense Team’s Special Investigator reveals the truth behind the trials.
“I understand that we live in the post-truth era and I know that few will want to know what really happened during the three criminal trials I’ve dealt with – it’s easier to judge me and compare myself to people like Saville and Glitter,” Harris said.
“I have been convicted of crimes that I did not commit in my first trial. That is not only my opinion, but also the opinion of the appeals court that overturned one of my convictions. I had already served the prison sentence at the time of the appeal.
“I changed my legal team after the first trial, and I was told that if the truth was known, William (Merritt) would find it and he did.
“The evidence he found proved my innocence to two successive juries.
“I’d be in jail and serving a sentence for crimes I didn’t commit if it weren’t for William’s investigation.
“It’s hard to put into words the injustice I feel.”
Rolf Harris’ pictured with a dog at RSPCA Animal Hospital in Putney, UK
Rolf Harris (pictured five years ago) battles neck cancer and is now fed through a tube
According to locals, Rolf Harris (second from left) and his wife Alwen Hughes (second from right) are hermits and rarely leave their home in Bray, Berkshire
Harris married his sculptor wife Alwen in March 1958 after meeting at art school. The couple has a daughter Bindi.
Best known for hits Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport and Jake The Peg, Harris also famously painted the 80th birthday portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
He was the face of British Paints for over three decades before being dumped by the brand when he was arrested in 2013.
The following year, Harris was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault and was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
The attacks included one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens and a catalog of abuse against his daughter’s boyfriend of over 16 years old.
He was released on parole in May 2017 after serving three years behind bars.
Of the 12 convictions, one was overturned on appeal in November 2017, and a jury chose not to convict him in two additional cases in the same year.