Rodney Bickerstaffe was born on 6 April 1945 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, UK. He was married to Patricia Bickerstaffe and Pat. He died on 3 October 2017 in the UK.
His father Tommy Simpson refused to marry Elizabeth Bickerstaffe, as she was not Catholic, and fled to Ireland. Rodney only met his seven half-siblings (from his father's subsequent marriage) in 1998.