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Cliff Richard tears up remembering his father’s death on Life Stories: ‘He missed my career’

Cliff Richard and his father (right) in 1959

Introduction:

Sir Cliff Richard appeared on Piers Morgan Life Stories this weekend, and opened up about losing his father when he was aged just 20.

Looking back over his eight decades in music, the ‘Devil Woman’ singer became emotional as he looked back at particular moments that he wished his father had seen.

Sir Cliff Richard was just 20 when his dad Rodger Webb died in 1961 aged 56 from complications with thrombosis.

This was only a couple of years into his career, and Rodger never got to witness just how huge his son’s career would become.

“20 years old is a tough age to lose your father,” Piers said to Cliff, before asking whether he had been able to say everything he wanted to his dad.

“It wasn’t easy for any of us really, but he was a naughty person really, he did smoke a lot,” the 80-year-old singer said. “But, no I didn’t.”

His voice cracking, Cliff continued: “That’s why I feel some times that my anger if I’ve got any, comes out when I think he missed the best things in my life.

“He never saw the knighthood. Everything that dad – he was the one that was right behind me and when he became part of the management group he’s the one that kept me on the tracks and continued to remind me, ‘this is what you’re going to do’. So for me, it was a horrible, horrible loss.”

Who were Cliff Richard’s parents?

Cliff’s mother Dorothy died in October 2007, aged 87, after a decade with Alzheimer’s disease.

The singer was born Harry Rodger Webb in British India at King George’s Hospital in Lucknow, which was then part of British India.

Rodger Webb was a manager for a catering contractor that serviced the Indian Railways. His mother’s maiden name was Marie Dazely.

The Webb family lived in Maqbara, near the main shopping centre of Hazratganj. Cliff also has three sisters: Joan, Jacqui and Donna. Donna passed away in 2016.

In 1948, following Indian independence, the family went on a three-week sea trip to Tilbury, Essex aboard the SS Ranchi. They lived in a company-supplied flat at Howrah near Calcutta.

Aged 16, Cliff’s father bought him a guitar, and in 1957, he formed the school vocal group The Quintones. Two years later, he had teamed up with The Shadows and scored a massive hit with ‘Move It’.

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“FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, CLIFF RICHARD HAD BEEN ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST BELOVED STARS — THEN CAMERAS FILMED A POLICE SEARCH OF HIS HOME, BEGINNING A NIGHTMARE THAT WOULD END IN A COURTROOM…” On August 14, 2014, Cliff Richard’s life took an unexpected and deeply distressing turn. Police searched his Berkshire home as part of an investigation into an allegation of historical sexual abuse. The search was filmed from a helicopter and broadcast by the BBC, bringing intensely personal and damaging publicity to a singer whose career had spanned more than five decades. Cliff denied the allegation. For nearly two years, uncertainty surrounded his reputation and future. Yet he was never arrested or charged. In June 2016, prosecutors announced that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against him. But the story did not end there. Cliff challenged the BBC’s coverage, arguing that broadcasting the search had violated his privacy. In July 2018, the High Court ruled in his favor. For a man whose music had accompanied generations of British families, the experience marked one of the most painful public chapters of his life. It also raised difficult questions about privacy, journalism and the treatment of people under investigation. Cliff Richard had spent a lifetime performing before cameras. In 2014, cameras captured a moment he had never chosen to share.

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“RAIN HAD BROUGHT WIMBLEDON TO A STANDSTILL IN 1996 — BUT WHEN CLIFF RICHARD STOOD UP AND BEGAN SINGING, AN ORDINARY TENNIS DELAY TURNED INTO ONE OF THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS IN THE TOURNAMENT’S HISTORY…” On a rainy day at Wimbledon in 1996, thousands of tennis fans found themselves waiting for play to resume. The famous grass courts were wet, the matches were interrupted, and the crowd had little to do but wait. Then something extraordinary happened. Among the spectators was one of Britain’s most recognizable entertainers: Cliff Richard. Rather than simply watching the rain, Cliff began singing. There was no planned concert, no elaborate stage, and no orchestra waiting to accompany him. Yet the moment quickly turned into an impromptu musical performance. As Cliff entertained the crowd, several tennis stars, including Martina Navratilova, joined the occasion. The spectators who had arrived expecting world-class tennis suddenly found themselves enjoying an unexpected show. Songs associated with Cliff’s long career echoed around Centre Court, bringing laughter, applause, and a welcome distraction from the disappointing weather. What made the moment so memorable was its spontaneity. Cliff had spent decades performing in theaters, concert halls, and stadiums. But this time, one of his most famous appearances happened because a tennis match couldn’t continue. For a few unforgettable minutes, Wimbledon stopped being about tennis — and became a Cliff Richard concert instead.