Gary Glitter/Archive

Gary Glitter/Archive

Gary Glitter (born Paul Francis Gadd, 8 May 1944) is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.

Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s. He had a long solo UK chart run during the 1970s, with several hits including "Rock and Roll, Parts One and Two", "I Love You Love Me Love", "I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" and "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again". Between 1972 and 1995, Glitter had 26 hit singles which spent a total of 180 weeks in the UK Top 100; twelve of those reached the Top 10, with three charting at number 1. He continued to record in the 1980s and 1990s, with his 1984 song "Another Rock n' Roll Christmas" becoming one of the most played Christmas hits of all time. He released seven studio albums, and at least 15 greatest hits collections or live albums. In 1998, his recording of "Rock and Roll" was listed as one of the top 1,001 songs in music history. The mostly instrumental "Rock and Roll, Part 2" has been played as a popular cheering song at American sporting events for several decades.

Glitter's various criminal behaviours have generated significant press coverage and instigated a fall from grace that the BBC described as "spectacular". He was convicted three times for driving under the influence, the last of which of which led to a 10-year driving ban in the 1980s; he narrowly escaped a prison term. The late 1990s saw Glitter's image become irreparably tarnished, following his 1997 arrest and 1999 conviction for possession of child pornography in the United Kingdom. In 2006, a court in Vietnam found him guilty of committing obscene acts with minors. These convictions effectively ended his long career and turned the once-popular entertainer into a prominent hate figure. In October 2012, Glitter was arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, an extensive police investigation into alleged sexual abuse dating back to the 1950s.