LONDON – The “larger than life” veteran DJ and broadcaster Sir Jimmy Savile has died aged 84.
The star, who presented the first episode of Top Of The Popsas well as his long-running show Jim'll Fix It,was found at his home in Roundhay, Leeds, just after midday on Saturday – two days before his 85th birthday.
His death came after a spell in hospital earlier this month with a suspected bout of pneumonia.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led the tributes to the star. A Clarence House spokeswoman said: “The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were saddened to hear of Jimmy Savile’s death and their thoughts are with his family at this time.”
It is not known how Sir Jimmy died but it is believed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. He was known for his trademark catchphrases, tracksuits and tinted glasses, and friends and colleagues described him as a “larger than life” character dedicated to charity work.
Sir Jimmy started his working life as a miner in his native Yorkshire before running a series of clubs and working as a wrestler and a DJ.
He has raised millions for charity and, for many years, was a regular marathon runner in support of good causes. He was associated in the 1970s with fundraising for the Central Remedial Clinic in Dublin.
He raised £20 million for the creation of the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1983, following damage caused by severe weather to the old prefab wooden huts which had housed spinal cord injury patients.
He was a volunteer at the hospital and ran more than 200 marathons for various charitable organisations. A spokeswoman for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust – which runs the hospital – said: “Sir Jimmy has been a great supporter of Stoke Mandeville Hospital for a number of decades.
“He was tireless in his attempts to fundraise for the hospital and was integral in the creation of the National Spinal Injuries Centre that we have today.
“Sir Jimmy will be sorely missed by staff and patients alike.”
Radio presenter Paul Burnett told Sky News that Sir Jimmy’s charity work was a “two-way street”, adding: “He didn’t have a family as such and so, when he took on a charity, that became his family.”
Kitty Holland writes:Sir Jimmy took part in a number of sponsored walks in aid of the Central Remedial Clinic in the early 1970s.
Speaking on RTÉ radio's The John Murray Showin April this year, he described the walks as "great, great, great". Remembering one he said: "That was great. It was Middle Abbey Street to Baldoyle".
His mother was Irish, he said in the interview. “Her maiden name was Kelly. And one time when I was raising the money for the Central Remedial Clinic with Lady Goulding, I took ‘the Duchess’ over and it was quite emotional for her. It was emotional for Ireland and it didn’t do me any harm either.”
He said in that interview he would like to come back to Dublin “for a day”. – (PA, Reuters)