Rolf Harris, former singer, entertainer convicted of sexual assault dead at 93

Rolf Harris, a singer and television host in the United Kingdom known for the 1960s song “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” who was later a convicted sex offender, died on May 10. He was 93.

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The Press Association announced Harris’ death, which was confirmed by a registrar at Maidenhead Town Hall, according to Variety. The cause of death was listed as neck cancer and old age.

“This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest,” Harris’ family said in a statement, according to the BBC. “They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made.”

In 2014, Harris was found guilty of several indecent assaults against women and girls between 1968 and 1986, the BBC reported. The convictions included 12 indecent assaults on four girls, two of whom were in their early teens, according to Variety. One conviction, involving an 8-year-old girl, was overturned on appeal.

He was sentenced to five years, nine months in prison and was released from prison in 2017, the BBC reported.

Harris once painted a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II when the former monarch turned 80 in 2006, CNN reported.

Once one of Britain’s most popular children’s entertainers, the Australian-born Harris had several hits during the 1960s, including “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport,” “Jake the Peg” and “Two Little Boys,” according to Variety.

Originally released in 1960, “Kangaroo” was rereleased in 1963 and went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

He also had a decades-long television career at the BBC and received several honors, including the Order of the British Empire and a BAFTA Fellowship, according to Variety.

He was stripped of the honor after his convictions, the BBC reported.

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