Sir Jimmy Savile’s body ‘to lie in state’ at Leeds hotel
The coffin of broadcasting legend Sir Jimmy Savile is lying in state at a hotel in his home city ahead of his funeral on Wednesday.
Today is the first of three days of celebrations marking Sir Jimmy’s life. A funeral service in the form of a requiem mass at the Roman Catholic St Anne’s Cathedral will take place on Wednesday afternoon.
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 TV and radio star, 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 seafront.
Tributes
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 dead at his flat in Roundhay, Leeds, just two days before his 85th birthday.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led the tributes.
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.