Articles
Celebrations begin to mark life of Sir Jimmy Savile
- Details
- Category: News - UK and Ireland
- Published on Tuesday, 08 November 2011 09:35
- Written by Super User
Three days of celebrations marking the life of Catholic broadcasting legend Sir Jimmy Savile begin today as fans get the chance to pay their respects at his coffin.
The larger-than-life DJ’s casket is being taken to The Queens Hotel, in the centre of his home town of Leeds, so members of the public can say goodbye to him.
A room at the hotel will be open for most of the day for well-wishers to visit the coffin, which will be closed.
The event is taking place the day before the funeral service for Sir Jimmy which will take the form of a Requiem Mass at St Anne’s Cathedral, also in the centre of Leeds.
Sir Jimmy’s cortege is expected to arrive at the cathedral following a tour of places in the city which were important in his life.
The broadcasting icon, who died last month aged 84, will be buried the following day in the North Yorkshire seaside resort of Scarborough, which he loved and where he also had a flat.
His family have confirmed this will also be a public event including a final drive down the town’s well-known seafront.
The veteran DJ, who presented the first episode of Top Of The Pops as well as his long-running show Jim’ll Fix It, was found at his flat in Roundhay, Leeds, just two days before his 85th birthday.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led tributes to the star.
Known for his trademark catchphrases, tracksuits, cigars and tinted glasses, friends and colleagues described Sir Jimmy as a “larger than life” character who was dedicated to charity work.
He started his working life as a miner in his native Yorkshire before running a series of clubs and working as a wrestler and DJ.
He raised millions for charity and for many years was a regular marathon runner in support of good causes.
