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Gary Glitter
English musician and child sex offender (born 1944) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), better known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer who achieved fame and success during the 1970s and 1980s, known for his energetic live performances and glam rock persona of glitter suits, make-up, and platform boots. During his career, Glitter sold over 20 million records and had 26 hit singles, which spent a total of 180 weeks in the UK Singles Chart, with 12 reaching the top 10 and three of those charting at number one.[4][better source needed] His career ended after he was convicted of downloading child pornography in 1999, and was later convicted of child sexual abuse in 2006 and a series of sexual offences, including attempted rape, in 2015.
Gary Glitter | |
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![]() Glitter in 1974 | |
Born | Paul Francis Gadd (1944-05-08) 8 May 1944 (age 80) Banbury, Oxfordshire, England |
Other names | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1960–2005 |
Criminal status | Imprisoned |
Spouse |
Ann Murton
(m. 1963; div. 1972) |
Children | 3 |
Criminal charge |
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Penalty | 16 years in prison |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Discography | Gary Glitter discography |
Labels | |
After performing under the name Paul Raven during the 1960s, Gadd changed his stage name to Gary Glitter in the early 1970s and had a sustained career backed by the Glittermen/the Glitter Band on stage. His hits included "Rock and Roll (Parts 1 and 2)", "Do You Wanna Touch Me", "I Love You Love Me Love", "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)", and "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again". Touch Me (1973) was Glitter's best-selling album, which peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart. His popularity waned during the late 1970s, and was followed by a successful comeback as a solo artist in the 1980s; his 1984 song "Another Rock and Roll Christmas" was one of the most played Christmas songs of all time.[5] In 1998, his recording of "Rock and Roll (Part 2)" was listed as one of the top 1,001 songs in music history.[6] As of 2001, he was listed in the top 100 most successful UK chart acts.[7] He also released seven studio albums and at least 15 albums of compilations and live performances. Glitter had an influence on various musicians and genres from the 1970s onwards, especially British punk, post-punk, new wave, gothic rock, Britpop and glam metal.
Glitter was arrested in 1997 and convicted and imprisoned in 1999 for downloading thousands of child pornography images and videos.[8] He was acquitted of a charge of sexual activity with an underage girl in the 1970s. He later faced criminal charges and deportation from several countries in connection with both actual and suspected child sexual abuse. He was deported from Cambodia on suspected child sexual abuse charges in 2002 and settled in Vietnam, where a court found him guilty of obscene acts with minors in 2006.[9] After serving his sentence, he was deported to the UK and was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life. After the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal, Glitter was arrested again in 2012, as part of Operation Yewtree.[10] He was released on bail, and was charged in 2014 with historical child sex offences. In 2015, he was found guilty of one count of attempted rape, one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, and four counts of indecent assault;[11][12] he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.[13] He was released on licence in February 2023 after serving half of his sentence in prison,[14] but recalled to prison in March of the same year after breaching the conditions of his licence.[15] His parole bid was denied in February 2024.[16] BBC News described Glitter's fall from grace as "dramatic" and "spectacular".[17] In 2015, Glitter was described by music journalist Alexis Petridis as a "public hate figure".[18] Episodes of the music show Top of the Pops featuring his performances are no longer repeated.