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A: A knighthood is for life and life only, so he cannot be stripped of it posthumously even by the King, let alone us.
Q: Then why can't you remove it?
A: Extensive consensus is against it.
Q: Why doesn't the first sentence mention sexual offences? It's what he's best known for.
A: Consensus is to mention what he was known for during his life first, and mention posthumous events afterwards. Many people have suggested alternatives, but none have found agreement. Specific information can be more detailed in the spin-off article Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal.
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According to various sources, as well as Dan Davies book, Savile's death came as no surprise, because he was quite unwell. https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/sir-jimmy-savile-the-medallion-man-with-a-heart-of-gold-1655782 (this scotsman article quotes a woman who said that two weeks before he died, Savile was feeling unwell). Because Savile had earlier been released from hospital with pneumonia, some articles over the years "after the scandal" (which are of course, either not reliable or making "guesses") suggest Savile's cause of death was pneumonia, though as far as I know, the general word was that he was just unwell. Do we have a death certificate to establish a precise cause of death? ~2026-18452-16 (talk) 21:09, 24 March 2026 (UTC)Reply
Death certificates tend to feature pneumonia quite regularly as a cause of death, though respiratory infection is (in parts of the developed world with ready access to affordable medical treatment) rarely the sole cause. More often there is underlying disease, generally already diagnosed, or simply old age, either of which weakens the immune system etc. 'Pneumonia' looks better on a death certificate than 'patient was very ill and stopped breathing'. I wouldn't worry too much about what the death certificate actually says, and we tend not to use primary sources. AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:36, 24 March 2026 (UTC)Reply
The article doesn't say that Savile actually died of pneumonia, only that he had been ill in hospital with pneumonia. The most important thing is that his death was not considered to be suspicious. We are not talking Jeffrey Epstein here.--♦IanMacM♦(talk to me)21:45, 24 March 2026 (UTC)Reply
Latest comment: 1 month ago2 comments2 people in discussion
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Change the first sentence and descriptor of his life accomplishments to describe his crimes. The first of his accomplishments should not be “media personality and DJ” when he is a rapist first. ~2026-37269-23 (talk) 16:06, 29 June 2026 (UTC)Reply
Not done: This has been discussed previously, and the first paragraph and entire lead section give due weight to the controversies that Savile caused. There is also an entire separate article Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal. Any sex crimes that Savile committed would not have been notable without his media career.--♦IanMacM♦(talk to me)16:27, 29 June 2026 (UTC)Reply
Latest comment: 22 days ago6 comments4 people in discussion
< link redacted >
I don’t know if the link is working but Dan Davies book details Savile’s last month and cause of death. He got pneumonia from a cruise on the Queen Ezliabeth. Gave his last interview four days before he died, was described as unwell on his last night and was last called by friends via phone trying to return to hospital. It says he died from cardiac arrest and heart failure. Could this reference be used for the death section, in any way?~2026-40412-99 (talk) 09:45, 18 July 2026 (UTC)Reply
So, in the book, it says five weeks before he died, JS went on a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth for its maiden voyage around Britain. He took ill and forced to leave in Liverpool. He was diagnosed with pneumonia in hospital and four major organs were failing. ~2026-40237-70 (talk) 12:10, 18 July 2026 (UTC)Reply
In the week before his death, JS checked out of hospital and returned home where he gave his last interview. On his last night, he was confined to bed, where people phoned him to go back to hospital. Found dead the next morning, his cause of death was recorded as cardiac arrest, heart failure, renal failure and ischaemic disease ~2026-40237-70 (talk) 12:15, 18 July 2026 (UTC)Reply
They could be added, but Wikipedia is not IMDb so it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of everything that a person ever did, particularly if it involves minor roles; see WP:DUE.--♦IanMacM♦(talk to me)10:44, 26 July 2026 (UTC)Reply
level-5 vital article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
Not done: This has been discussed previously, and the first paragraph and entire lead section give due weight to the controversies that Savile caused. There is also an entire separate article Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal. Any sex crimes that Savile committed would not have been notable without his media career.--♦IanMacM♦ (talk to me) 16:27, 29 June 2026 (UTC)