Freddie Starr’s sister has claimed the comic became a tragic recluse after he faced a police probe into claims he groped a teenager in the 1970s.
The funnyman was found dead at his home in Spain last week aged 76 after years of ill health.
Brenda Hughes, 79, has now spoken out about his death and insisted her brother "never recovered" from the scandal.
She told The Sun Online: “Freddie telephoned me after the case ended.
“I think it had a big impact on him both mentally and physically.
“He felt devastated and I don’t think he ever properly recovered."
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Starr was arrested four times as police investigated allegations he groped a 15-year-old girl in Jimmy Savile's dressing room in 1974.
The probe was part of the highly-publicised Operation Yewtree which focused on historic sex abuse allegations following the discovery of Savile's horrifying crimes.
The comedian was eventually released without charge and Freddie sued his accuser, but lost the case and landed a legal bill of nearly £1million.
Brenda explained the scandal turned her brother into a recluse as he sold off his home in Britain and moved to Spain.
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She revealed he was in bad health prior to his death, which has been attributed to a heart attack, but she didn't know how serious it was.
“I knew he was if bad health because he’d had a heart operation [in 2010]... but I didn’t know how serious it was.
“All I’ve been thinking about since getting the news is him being by himself when it happened.
“He must have been under a lot of stress.”
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