The legalities are very simple - you can't libel a dead person.
Had the honour of meeting Sir Jimmy a number of times and he was a marvelous eccentric who marched to his own drum-beat, hence the rumours and myths which have surrounded him for decades and none of which have a shred of truth in them.
I happened to pop into his flat near Regent's Park many years ago to introduce him to someone who wanted some charity fund-raising doing and having a quick look round I noticed he didn't have a cooker in his kitchen.
He told me he didn't have a cooker in any of his many properties dotted around Britain as he'd never cooked a meal in his life.
He was also a chronic insomniac and would often set out in the middle of the night to go for a long run with just a couple of quid in his pocket - he might run 10 miles to an-night transport cafe he knew and sit down for a cup of tea and some toast and then run all the way back.
A legendary man and one of life's true eccentrics. I don't generally do RIPs but this man deserves one.
www.bbc.co.uk
