Savile - The Beast: The Inside Story of the Greatest Scandal in TV History. John McShane
A proper British eccentric.’
Where words of praise were expressed on the news of his death, they were almost always followed by tributes to his charity work.
He had raised millions for the creation of the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, after severe weather caused damage to the old prefab wooden huts which had housed spinal cord injury patients. Savile was a volunteer at the hospital and ran more than 200 marathons for various charitable organisations.
A spokeswoman for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 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.’
Two of Sir Jimmy’s nephews confirmed that their uncle had died peacefully in his sleep. As Roger Foster and Ian McKenna paid tribute to Sir Jimmy outside his flat, Mr Foster said: ‘It is with deep sadness that I can tell you that our uncle Sir Jimmy Savile passed away quietly in his sleep during the night. Jimmy was a wonderful man; his public face is well known but we knew him as much more than an uncle, he was a very good friend. Jimmy will be sadly missed by very many people. We would like to thank the people who have already offered their condolences.’
The aftermath of his death and the preparations for his burial were practically akin to those normally associated with members of the Royal Family.
A memorial and book of condolence to Sir Jimmy was set up in Savile’s Hall, named after him, opposite the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds and the foyer of the hall was to feature a life-size poster depicting him in his trademark Jim’ll Fix It chair, which had been bought by the hall on eBay three years earlier.
James Vincent, managing director of Royal Armouries International, said: ‘Sir Jimmy was a great friend and a driving force for us and we want to pay tribute to the man. He was a legend, an extraordinary larger than life character. We share the grief of his passing and hope his loyal local fans will appreciate this as a fitting place in which to honour his memory and lay any flowers or mementoes.’
Civic dignitaries too were quick to add their salutary verdicts. Councillor Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City Council said ‘This is very sad news. Sir Jimmy Savile was Leeds born and bred and he remained a Leeds lad throughout his life. He was a much-loved and well-known figure – a larger than life character and an inspiration to many, particularly the children of the city. His enormous contribution to charity will never be forgotten. We are proud to have someone like him, who did so much for so many, come from Leeds.’
A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals said: ‘We are shocked and saddened that one of the great characters of this city, and a fantastic support of our hospitals, has died. Over the years Sir Jimmy’s patronage has provided outstanding opportunities for the research and care that has been of great benefit. He will be sadly missed.’
Where would all this praise end? Certainly not before his funeral which was to see a remarkable outpouring of grief and affection for Savile.
The death notice in his local newspaper, the Yorkshire Post, on November 4 read:
Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent. O.B.E., K.C.S.G. (Jimmy) Of your charity please pray for the repose of the soul of Jimmy, in his 85th year, who departed this life peacefully in his sleep at his home in Leeds on Saturday October 29th 2011.
Beloved youngest son of the late Agnes and Vincent, much loved brother of the late Mary, Marjory, Vincent, John, Joan and Chrissie. Jimmy was loved and respected by his very proud nephews and nieces and he was a very dear great uncle. He will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him.
Requiem Mass will be held at the Cathedral Church of St. Anne, Leeds on Wednesday November 9th at 2.00 p.m. prior to interment at Woodlands Cemetery, Scarborough on Thursday November 10th at 1.00 p.m.
Anyone wishing to pay their respects to Sir Jimmy and sign a book of condolence can do so at The Queens Hotel, City Square, Leeds LS1 1PJ on Tuesday November 8th between 9.30am and 4.30pm.
May he Rest in Peace.
His passing was to be marked over three days with emotion and protocol more akin to someone lying in state rather than the funeral proceedings of an elderly former DJ.
On day one, his body – dressed in a track suit, naturally – lay on a sprung mattress inside a gold-lacquered metal coffin raised on a platform in the bar of his favourite hotel, the Queens in Leeds city centre. Three of his trademark Havana cigars, among them the last one he smoked, lay in an ashtray beside him, and on his body he wore his Help For Heroes charity wristband and clutched rosary beads alongside an honorary green beret from the Royal Marines. It was the opening act of the send-off for Savile as for nine hours he lay in the art-deco surroundings of the hotel. Well-wishers laid flowers and left messages in books of condolence as they slowly proceeded past the closed casket at the rate of ten a minute.
The day was organised by friends and family to allow ‘ordinary guys and gals’ to pay tribute that grey, wet Leeds day. ‘It started off as a straightforward family funeral,’ Roger Foster said. ‘The funeral director pointed out that to me he was an uncle; to everybody else he was a national treasure. We just tried to read his mind and give him what we thought he would have wanted.’
Among the visitors was close friend Howard Silverman, who chose Jimmy as best man at his wedding. Standing beside the queue of people he said: ‘He was friends with Prince Charles and other royalty, with Elvis and the Beatles, and with Mrs Thatcher. But his good true friends were just ordinary people.’
The hefty casket, with its lid closed, was covered with the white roses of Yorkshire and was topped with a large crucifix. It was galvanised inside to help stop it rusting.
One mourner, dressed in a tribute track suit and headband, had caught the 5.50am train from London to join the throng. ‘Modern day celebrities are all about themselves. Sir Jimmy was about everybody else’, he explained. Among the estimated 5,000 who paid their tributes that day was a tramp, an airline pilot, a nun in a wheelchair, an Afghanistan veteran walking on carbon fibre legs and a woman who came to apologise for treading on Savile’s toe once during a charity marathon.
The next day television and radio colleagues joined his family and friends in St Anne’s Cathedral, Leeds, for a Requiem Mass as thousands of well-wishers watched outside on big screens.
After leaving The Queens Hotel, the procession had stopped at the former home of his mother, Agnes (‘The Duchess’) and at Leeds General Infirmary where hospital staff and members of the public lined the street. Thousands of people stood behind barriers as the cortège approached the cathedral and they broke into spontaneous applause as the cars pulled up. Calls of ‘Jimmy’ rang out through the crowd as the pall-bearers slowly approached the steps. The coffin was carried into the packed cathedral by a detachment of Royal Marines commandos after the cortege’s tour of the city.
Addressing the crowded church, the Rt Rev Monsignor Kieran Heskin said: ‘Sir Jimmy Savile can face eternal life with confidence. His life story was an epic of giving – giving of time, giving of talent, giving of treasure.’
The Right Rev Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds, also paid tribute, saying: ‘Today Jimmy lies at the front of this cathedral where, in former years, he had remained discreetly hidden at the back in order not to disturb people’s prayers or distract their attention from what was taking place at the altar. This afternoon, he occupies the first place always in our thoughts, affections and prayers.’
One of the eulogies was given by Professor Alistair Hall, a cardiologist who became Savile’s friend. Prof Hall announced a new hospital institute devoted to helping heart patients was to be created using a bequest from Savile’s will. He said: ‘He had done it all, seen it all, got it all and, if I may add, given it all.’
As the coffin left the cathedral, a bugler played the Last Post and boxer Frank Bruno, one of the mourners, chatted to the public as they thronged outside at the