Tomb with seaside view for Sir Jim

IN DEATH, Sir Jimmy Savile remained what he was in life: a stand-up guy.

The flamboyant DJ, who raised millions for charity, was granted his final wish yesterday when he was buried in his beloved Scarborough at a 45-degree angle to overlook the sea.

For the broadcasting legend, who continued to run marathons and chainsmoke cigars until the age of 84, was never going to take death lying down.

Instead, he chose the most elevated position in the peaceful Woodlands Cemetery, in the North Yorkshire town, for its spectacular sea view.

But as the star’s gold-coloured coffin was carefully lowered into the grave, all that could be seen through the mist was the ghostly shape of Scarborough Castle in the distance. However, the weather did not deter the hundreds who turned out to pay their respects to Sir Jimmy, who was a freeman of the Borough of Scarborough.

The DJ, who died last month at his flat in Leeds just two days before his 85th birthday, made his final journey through his “second home”, starting at his flat on the Esplanade.

As the cortege made its way on to the Foreshore, the funeral director left the hearse and walked the cars along the seafront. People lined up along a road filled with amusement arcades and seaside shops applauded as the coffin passed by.

Meanwhile, the Futurist theatre paid its own tribute to one of Scarborough’s best-loved celebrities by putting “Goodbye Jimmy” on its show board.

The cortege continued past the lifeboat station and harbour, where Sir Jimmy used to mix with the lifeboat men and fishermen, and past Peasholm Park before arriving at the cemetery.

Around 100 members of the public gathered to watch the short burial service. Sir Jimmy’s family and friends stood next to the grave, some wearing specially-made badges reading “Jim Fixed It For Me”.

His niece, Mandy McKenna, gave a reading by the grave before Father Martin Kelly, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Leeds, paid tribute. He said Sir Jimmy was “a man who had a place deep in people’s hearts”.

“These past days have spoken of the great affection with which Jimmy Savile was held by so many,” he added.

After the coffin was lowered into the grave in its elevated position, friends and family members threw white roses – the symbol of Yorkshire – on to the coffin.

Members of the public were then invited to pay their respects, including Dave Bishop, 67, from Nottingham, who attended the burial dressed as Elvis Presley. Mr Bishop, who also goes by the name Lord Biro of the Bus Pass Elvis Party, said: “Jimmy Savile was a big Elvis fan so it seemed like the right thing to do to come and pay my respects.”

After the funeral, Roger Foster, Sir Jimmy’s nephew, said the epitaph for his uncle’s headstone had not yet been decided. But he said it could feature what would become the DJ’s last catchphrase: “It was good while it lasted”.