What happened to Jimmy Savile? The British media personality, who was regarded as one of Britain’s most prolific paedophiles, died aged 84 and his death followed a lot of controversies.
One of the biggest names on British TV from the 1960s to the 1990s, Jimmy Savile fronted popular programs like Top Of The Pops and Jim’ll Fix It.
The British DJ from Leeds was well-known for his eccentric image and charity work during his lifetime.
However, his name was surrounded by a whole lot of controversies following his death in 2011.
Saville is regarded as one of Britain’s most prolific paedophiles.
A report into Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire found he had sexually abused more than 50 people there, including staff, patients, and visitors, with one victim just eight years of age. It concluded that it was widely known at the hospital that Savile was a ‘sex pest’.
Here’s everything we know about the British media personality, from his career to death and paedophile drama.
Who was Jimmy Savile?
Jimmy Savile (real name: Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE KCSG) was born on October 31, 1926, in Leeds, United Kingdom.
His parents’ names are Agnes Monica Savile (mother) and Vincent Joseph Marie Savile (father).
He was not an only child to his mom and dad as they had seven children, meaning Jimmy had five siblings. His sisters and brothers are John Savile, Christina Savile, Joan Savile, Mary Savile, Marjory Savile, and Vincent Savile.
By profession, Savile was an English media personality and DJ.
Before getting into a career in the entertainment industry, he survived serious spinal injuries while working in a coal mine as a “Bevin Boy” during the Second World War.
Saville moved into radio in the late 1950s at Radio Luxembourg before joining BBC Radio One as a presenter.
In 1964 he presented the first ever Top Of The Pops and continued to make appearances on the show for decades.
More TV work followed, including the kids’ show Jim’ll Fix It.
Some of his broadcasts drew audiences of 20 million.
During his lifetime, Savile was well-known in the United Kingdom for his eccentric image and charitable work.
He particularly made more donations to the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he volunteered for many years as a porter.
It is now believed that Savile sexually abused vulnerable patients here and at other hospitals.
Horrifyingly, he was the face of childhood safety campaigns and even a pamphlet called Stranger Danger, which warned children to be wary of suspicious adults.
He was awarded the OBE in 1971 and was knighted in 1990 but this was removed posthumously due to his criminal records.
What were Jimmy Savile’s crimes?
Savile was exposed as a paedophile in 2012 and the following year a joint Scotland Yard and NSPCC report branded him one of the UK’s most prolific known sexual predators.
It’s estimated he sexually assaulted hundreds of women and children in a campaign of abuse lasting more than 50 years.
Operation Yewtree was launched after a flood of allegations in the wake of an ITV documentary screened in October 2012 exposed the late DJ as a paedophile.
It was then extended to include a host of other showbiz personalities suspected of child abuse.
Victims have told how TOTP host Savile raped or molested them in his BBC dressing room.
Others said they were abused when the once-revered entertainer visited schools, children’s homes, and hospitals under the cover of his prolific charity work.
During Operation Yewtree, cops discovered monster Savile had abused a patient at High Royds Hospital in West Yorkshire.
The assault took place during a fancy dress for i100th-anniversaryary celebrations, where the sicko also allegedly “groped staff’s breasts” and “put his hand up their skirts”.
Victims didn’t complain about the “dirty old man” because it was an “occupational hazard of being a woman” at the time, according to a report.
Spooky images show the inside of the abandoned unit for disturbed youngsters which closed in 2003.
A compensation scheme was set up for victims, which drew on the money he had in his estate before he died, and meant those named in his will received none of the bequeathed amounts.
How did Jimmy Savile escape detection?
A mixture of his celebrity status and police mistakes allowed the monster to get away with his crimes for his entire life.
He was questioned on several occasions but nothing ever came of the inquiries.
Seven police investigations were launched into Savile’s sexual activities before he died, but officers said that separate police forces across Britain were unable to connect the dots, partly because a national crime database did not come into operation until 2010.
Anne-Marie McAlinden, an expert on sexual abuse at Queen’s University Belfast, said Savile had used his influence to groom not just his victims but also anyone who might take a closer look at the suspicions around him.
She said: “Not only did he abuse his position of trust and authority, which was amplified because he was a celebrity but he also extended it to the whole organisation, to the BBC and even the press.”
How did Jimmy Savile die and what happened to his gravestone?
Jimmy Savile died on October 29, 2011, in Roundhay, Leeds, United Kingdom, at age 84, just two days before his 85th birthday.
His cause was pneumonia, and his death was not suspicious.
He was laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery with an elaborate headstone that reportedly cost £4,000 and featured the predator smiling and giving a double thumbs up.
The 6ft wide and 4ft high headstone also listed Savile’s achievements and remembered him as a ‘philanthropist, TV Presenter, DJ, Marathon runner, Cyclist, Wrestler, and Chieftan of Lochaber Highland Games.’
The headstone also bore the legend ‘it was good while it lasted’ across the base, which took on a much grimmer meaning when Savile’s abuse was revealed.
Is Jimmy Savile still in his grave? Savile’s gravestone was removed by Scarborough Borough Council at the request of the family, on October 10, 2012. During the operation, the cemetery was under police guard.
The stone was then dismantled and ground up, removing the inscriptions, and dumped in a skip to be used as a landfill.
However, Savile’s unmarked grave at Woodlands Cemetery still exists.
What were Jimmy Savile’s last words?
Per DailyStar, in the days before Savile was found dead at his penthouse apartment in Leeds, he was quoted as saying: “I’ve got a bouncebackability, but this time I don’t seem to be bouncing back.” And when asked about how it felt to be soon turning 85, he joked grimly: “So many women, so little time.”
In another interview just three months before he died (but only published by the Sunday People in 2016) Savile seemed to imply his mother had been suspicious of him. He said: “My mother never got round to being proud. If anyone said, ‘What is Jimmy like?’ she would say, ‘I don’t know what he’s up to, but he’s up to something’. She never trusted me as she thought I was going to get nicked and end up in the pokey.”