Paul O'Grady

The British star and dog lover, known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage - long before the art form became mainstream - has died agead 67.

I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years". Interestingly, O'Grady wasn't actually a fan of the now internationally popular franchise RuPaul’s Drag Race, saying: “That's not drag! O’Grady had a decades-long career but was perhaps best known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage.

Host of Blind Date and Blankety Blank described as someone who stuck up for the underdog – particularly if they were canine.

The charity’s chief executive, Peter Laurie, said: “Battersea will forever remember Paul as a devoted animal lover with the biggest heart, who fell head over heels in love with every dog he met at our centres.” O’Grady’s affection for animals was so great, he once said that given the choice of more sex or money, he would choose a mongoose. He retired Savage to “a convent in Brittany” in 2004. I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.” [Carol Vorderman](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/vorderman) told the BBC that O’Grady was a “massive talent” who “made every part of you feel like you were alive”. He was discovered at a club in south London when he stood in for an act that called in sick, playing the drag persona Lily Savage, a loud-mouthed single mother and occasional sex worker.

Paul O'Grady, one of Britain's most popular TV personalities, has died aged 67.

[official Twitter account](https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1640997462176419840?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet), writing: “Deeply saddened to hear of the death of Paul O’Grady, who worked closely with Her Majesty in support of O’Grady also hosted ITV’s “For The Love Of Dogs.” In a one-off special for the show last year, O’Grady was joined by Camilla, Queen Consort to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an organization for which he was an ambassador. An awesome talent stretching decades.” O’Grady won numerous accolades during his career, including a TV BAFTA, and in 2008 he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to entertainment. In 1997, “The Lily Savage Show” ran briefly on the BBC before, later that year O’Grady took on the role of presenting the revived version of BBC gameshow “Blankety Blank,” which ran until 2002. [Doctor Who](https://cnn.com/2022/05/08/entertainment/doctor-who-ncuti-gatwa-intl-scli/index.html)” star John Barrowman [tweeted](https://twitter.com/JohnBarrowman/status/1640948230761631745): “I am totally shocked and sad to hear the awful news that Paul O’Grady has died.

Following the death of Paul O'Grady, the LGBTQ+ community is coming together to celebrate his incalculable impact on British drag culture.

“When the Police raided the Royal Vauxhall Tavern during the AIDS crisis wearing rubber gloves, Paul dressed as Lily onstage, quipped “Oh look, they’ve come to help with the washing up”. As a dog-loving TV host he was your gran’s favourite celebrity, normalising homosexuality in living rooms up and down the country”. “Paul was a trailblazer, they were on telly just after the AIDS crisis. “As foulmouthed, poison-heartedly hilarious Lily Savage, he was countless Brits’ first drag queen. “Few entertainers have the range of Paul O’Grady,” wrote author Phillip J. “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening,” he said.

U.K. broadcaster ITV has revealed the schedule changes brought about by the death of popular British presenter and comedian Paul O'Grady.

Under the Savage persona, he also went on to host light entertainment shows such as “The Big Breakfast,” “Blankety Blank” and “Lily Live!” He had a profound passion for animals too, which resonated with so many viewers, and ‘For The Love of Dogs’ remains one of our best-loved series, and a really special programme for so many. He was a huge, inimitable talent, delighting our viewers through his comedy and entertainment with a warmth, humor and joy that audiences of all generations related to and connected with.

LONDON — (AP) — Entertainer Paul O'Grady, who achieved fame as drag queen Lily Savage before becoming a much-loved comedian and host on British television, ...

“Paul was one of the loveliest people you could ever meet,” Tatchell said. Camilla, the queen consort, was a guest on the show last year. O’Grady used his platform to speak out about LGBT rights at the height of the AIDS crisis, a time when the Conservative government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was passing anti-gay laws.

British TV presenter, actor and comedian Paul O'Grady passed away "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday at the age of 67.

O’Grady began developing the beloved Lily Savage character in the 1970s and performed as her in a solo show that ran for eight years at London’s Royal Vauxhall Tavern. O’Grady later hosted The Lily Savage Show for a short 1997 stint and then hosted a rebooted version of BBC gameshow Blankety Blank in character. He was so proud of Annie, so happy to be back on Boom Radio, and he was looking forward to so many new projects.” Surrounded by his beloved dogs, he was laughing, smiling, and full of life. More recently, he had been on tour playing Miss Hannigan in a touring version of Annie. He was 67.

Paul O'Grady, a TV host and comedian, passes away at age 67. 'Unexpected but gentle death of a celebrity famed for his drag character is announced by the ...

That was "one of the longest gigs I've ever held down," he stated in his farewell performance. [Lorraine Kelly](/topic/lorraine-kelly)posted on Twitter, "Very awful news." He had a reputation for being vocal about the abuse of care workers, austerity measures, and the Tory party during his tenure. When O'Grady was nominated for the Perrier award, the UK's most prestigious comedy award, and started performing on radio and television as himself, he gained widespread exposure. [Peter Tatchell](/topic/peter-tatchell), an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, described O'Grady as "one of the kindest individuals you could ever meet." [‘Pledge-Repledge’ Model Mooted for Brokers, Investors](/epaper/delhicapital/2023/mar/29/et-front/pledge-repledge-model-mooted-for-brokers-investors/articleshow/99071846.cms)

Comedian, broadcaster and chat-show host who shot to widespread fame in the 1990s as his alter ego Lily Savage.

Last year he made a special one-off episode of For the Love of Dogs to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, for which he was an ambassador. In 2011 he quit Paul O’Grady Live after becoming exasperated with his role as a chat- show host: “I felt part of the PR machine. But O’Grady killed off Savage in 2005, claiming Lily had “seen the light, taken the veil and packed herself off to a convent in France”. A two-part eulogy to the British working class, broadcast in 2013, it prompted press scepticism – not least because O’Grady told viewers he still considered himself working class despite being a millionaire who owned a generous plot of land in Kent. Tatchell said of O’Grady: “Paul wasn’t just a brilliant comedian and broadcast personality but a much admired campaigner for LGBT+ equality and animal rights … “I was born late – what my mother calls the last kick of a dying horse,” he said in his 2009 autobiography At My Mother’s Knee … “They made many arrests but we were a stoic lot and it was business as usual the next night.” In the 70s he worked for Camden council in north London as a peripatetic carer. “So we went out every night and were the talk of the island.” The story was typical of O’Grady, who loved to dramatise his indomitability and had an unquenchable desire to be in the public eye. His defiant unshakeability and desire to perform came together in his first stage persona, the foul-mouthed Lily Savage, who sported a platinum blond beehive wig, vast quantities of makeup, white stilettos, a leopardskin miniskirt and a matching fake-fur coat. “My nose was out to here and I had a black eye, but I said: ‘I’m not ruining my holiday,’” he recalled. She even returned in triumph to her native Merseyside, and became a regular on This Morning with Richard and Judy.

A boundary-busting standup, a radio sensation, a knockout on TV, a champion for LGBTQ rights, and a pet-lover extraordinaire … stars and writers pay tribute ...

He was backstage at the Tavern in 1987, preparing for his performance and adjusting his wig, when suddenly the police burst into his dressing room. O’Grady developed the act (“a creature,” he said, “that was more cartoon than human”) in the gay clubs of London’s Camden Town – specifically, the Black Cap. Recently, when we were working on a campaign to get an apology from the police for their past persecution of the LGBTQ+ community, he told me a story that stuck in my mind. So, in his final months, he was preparing to stand up, accuse them of homophobia and demand they finally take responsibility and apologise. And what he landed on often, was fury – at the “criminals” in government. The fact that a lot of people who wrote in seemed to be of advanced years – the requests were often to thank helpful younger family members or carers – said a great deal about the breadth of his appeal. He wrinkled his nose and said: “I’m just the burnt-out wreck of a once glorious disco.” He worried about them when they were poorly and shared the joy when we found them loving homes. I got the feeling that, with his programmes about animals, he had to really push to make them happen. These tales echoed back to the war, with secrets and debts and back-alley shags in the Liverpool of the Blitz. He could just talk about whatever was in his head and get laughs. He stared at me like the scan of a 3D printer.

Paul O'Grady died "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday, according to his husband, Andre Portasio. The beloved 'Lily Savage Show' star was 67.

In the 1990s, O’Grady took his talents to television. Once a care worker in Camden Town, O’Grady made his debut as Lily Savage “You went places nobody had gone before and we will miss you very much.” I’m obsessed with them.” [Q&A with the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/nov/27/paul-ogrady-im-not-worried-about-sex-money-or-fame-i-just-want-a-mongoose) published in November 2021, O’Grady talked about the “happiest” moment of his life, his greatest fear (“finding a rat swimming in my toilet’’) and his brushes with death. “It’s all animals.