Rolf Harris’ wife Alwen Hughes has died at the age of 93 after suffering from a stroke, alongside the fragility of old age and vascular dementia – her death certificate has confirmed.
Hughes died on August 15, 2024, and will be laid to rest by cremation.
The sculptress grew up in Wales and was known for her eccentric clothing, as well as her decision to have a poodle as a bridesmaid during her wedding to Harris.
Hughes had previously been pictured in a wheelchair and was reportedly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in her final years.
The death of Hughes comes just 15 months after Harris’ – who had been sentenced to five years and nine months in jail for 12 indecent assaults on four underage girls between 1968 and 1986.
The disgraced BBC presenter rose to fame in 1953 and fronted shows such as Rolf’s Cartoon Club, The Rolf Harris Show and Animal Hospital, manipulating his stardom to ensure his crimes went unnoticed for 40 years.
Hughes stuck by Harris throughout the court proceedings which took place in 2014, and continued to do so during his subsequent jail term, before being back by his side in 2017 after he was released on licence.
After a jury failed to reach a verdict on charges at his 2017 hearing, Harris’ solicitor read a statement from him saying: “Whilst I am pleased that this is finally over, I feel no sense of victory – just relief.
“I am 87 years old, my wife is in ill health and we simply want to spend our remaining time together.”
She attended every day of Harris’ initial trial alongside their daughter Bindi.
He reportedly lived back at the home he shared with his wife in Berkshire for the past six decades and was said to be too ill to leave the property before his death.
According to his death certificate, he died of neck cancer and “frailty of old age” at his home in Bray, Berkshire, on May 10, 2023, with the family releasing a statement.
It read: “This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest. They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made.”
Following his death, his final conversation with Bindi was made public, with Harris saying: “I always believed we would go on longer together but, if I go first, promise you’ll take good care of your mum.”
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Speaking shortly after Harris’ conviction, singer Vince Hill said Harris was the sole carer of Alwen, who – then aged 82 – he described as being “in a terrible state”.
Hill, then 77, told The Sunday People in 2014: “Alwen is very poorly. We’re all very worried about her. I don’t know if she will survive his prison term. She’s quite fragile.
“She suffers from arthritis and she’s had hip replacements and God knows what.”
