Paul O'Grady

The Tranmere-born star presented the popular comedy game show, Blankety Blank, in the late 90s under the guise of Lily Savage and hosted The Paul O'Grady ...

We were all lucky to have Paul in our lives. Surrounded by his beloved dogs, he was laughing smiling and full of life. The presenter was honoured with an MBE for services to entertainment in 2008, adding to a list of achievements including a TV Bafta, a British Comedy Award, and a National Television Award for The Paul O'Grady Show. The Tranmere-born star presented the popular comedy game show, Blankety Blank, in the late 90s under the guise of Lily Savage and hosted The Paul O'Grady Show, Blind Date and For The Love Of Dogs in a 30 year career. TV star and comedian Paul O'Grady has died at the age of 67, his partner Andre Portasio has said. TV star and comedian Paul O'Grady has died at the age of 67

TV presenter and comedian Paul O'Grady has died at the age of 67, his partner Andre Portasio has said.

A really special man." He presented The Lily Savage Show for the BBC for a short run in 1997 and later that year had success as the host of a revived version of gameshow Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002. "Such sad news. O’Grady’s career as Savage took off with TV and radio appearances in character and he was eventually asked to take over from Paula Yates as The Big Breakfast presenter as Savage from 1995 to 1996. O'Grady took over the reins from Blind Date's long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, as he hosted the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017. During his career, he hosted The Paul O'Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.

The presenter passed away "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday evening, his partner Andre Portasio said in a statement.

Most recently, he had brought his love of dogs to the screen through the series For The Love Of Dogs. "I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years." The presenter passed away "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday evening, his partner Andre Portasio said in a statement.

Paul O' Grady with the award for best Factual Entertainment in the Press Room at the National Television Awards 2019 held at the O2 Arena, London.

I say to them, ‘Heart attack or not, I’m hopeless on treadmills!”‘ He also spoke about his health at the time, having had two heart attacks, saying: “The worst thing you can do is to sit and fret. O’Grady’s love of animals was also apparent through his other work and in September 2016, he was recognised for his work with animals when he won the award for Outstanding Contribution to Animal Welfare at the RSPCA’s Animal Hero Awards. O’Grady became popular with a whole new audience as the host of The Paul O’Grady Show which aired in a teatime slot on ITV from 2004 to 2005, later moving it to Channel 4 as The New Paul O’Grady Show. Last year he was joined by the Queen Consort in a special one-off episode of For The Love Of Dogs to mark 160 years of the home. He was well known for his self-titled daytime chat show, The Paul O’Grady Show, which began airing in 2004, followed by the New Paul O’Grady Show.

The TV star, also known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, died "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday evening, his partner Andre Portasio said in a ...

A really special man." He presented The Lily Savage Show for the BBC for a short run in 1997 and later that year had success as the host of a revived version of gameshow Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002. "Such sad news. O’Grady’s career as Savage took off with TV and radio appearances in character and he was eventually asked to take over from Paula Yates as The Big Breakfast presenter as Savage from 1995 to 1996. O'Grady took over the reins from Blind Date's long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, as he hosted the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017. During his career, he hosted The Paul O'Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.

The comedian, actor and writer, also known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening, according to a ...

Following work on the show he became a patron of Orangutan Appeal UK. “Paul was planning to lead our forthcoming campaign for the police to apologise for their historic persecution of the LGBT+ community. I say to them, ‘Heart attack or not, I’m hopeless on treadmills!”‘ He also spoke about his health at the time, having had two heart attacks, saying: “The worst thing you can do is to sit and fret. O’Grady was also a talented writer and authored several books, including an autobiographical series detailing his childhood, the creation of Savage and his years in the spotlight. Paul O’Grady – funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise. Last year he was joined by the Queen Consort in a special one-off episode of For The Love Of Dogs to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an organisation for which he was an ambassador. He took on chat show The Lily Savage Show for the BBC for a short run in 1997 and later that year had success as the host of a revived version of gameshow Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002. [ITV](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/itv) ’s multi-award-winning For The Love Of [Dogs](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/teamdogs). O’Grady took over the reins from Blind Date’s long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, as he hosted the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017. We will miss him. During his career, he hosted The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as

The comedian and TV personality first rose to prominence as his drag queen persona Lily Savage in the 1980s and 1990s before going on to host a string of ...

Speaking when it was published, the TV star recalled the death of his partner of 25 years, Brendan Murphy, in 2005 and said: “Grief doesn’t happen immediately, it hits you after a while, because you’ve got all the funeral and the fuss, then when that dies down you find yourself on your own, with time to contemplate what’s happened. I say to them, ‘Heart attack or not, I’m hopeless on treadmills!”‘ He also spoke about his health at the time, having had two heart attacks, saying: “The worst thing you can do is to sit and fret. He took on chat show The Lily Savage Show for the BBC for a short run in 1997 and later that year had success as the host of a revived version of gameshow Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002. He will be dearly missed.” O’Grady’s love of animals was also apparent through his other work and in September 2016, he was recognised for his work with animals when he won the award for Outstanding Contribution to Animal Welfare at the RSPCA’s Animal Hero Awards

Presenter, also known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, died 'unexpectedly but peacefully'

He took on chatshow The Lily Savage Show for the BBC for a short run in 1997 and later that year had success as the host of a revived version of gameshow Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002. O’Grady’s career as Savage took off with TV and radio appearances in character and he was eventually asked to take over from Paula Yates as The Big Breakfast presenter as Savage from 1995 to 1996. Last year he was joined by the Queen Consort in a special one-off episode of For The Love Of Dogs to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an organisation for which he was an ambassador. He began his career performing as Lily Savage in the 1970s whilst working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden council, going on to tour northern England as part of drag duo the Playgirls. O’Grady took over the reins from Blind Date’s long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, as he hosted the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017. During his career, he hosted The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV’s multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.

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.

The TV star, who has died aged 67, frequently spoke of his deep connection to his parents' home country.

Speaking to Pat Kenny on The Late Late Show in 2008, O’Grady said he had a farm “because of Ireland. Because I was brought up on the farm, and I thought if I ever get a few bob – never mind the fancy cars and all that – I’m gonna get a bit of land and a cow. “You can either sit on the sofa counting your tablets or you can get on with it – and I chose the latter.” “I love the smell of it. “O’Grady came when me Dad came over and joined the airforce. “He’d say: ‘King Athel of Glinsk.’ And there’s actually Glinsk castle, and I wonder if there’s any truth in it.

O'Grady was preparing to go on stage in 1987 when a police officer burst into his dressing room.

When the officer asked for a "real" name, he replied: "Lily Veronica Mae Savage." According to one version of events, when the desk sergeant for a name, he gave it as "Lily Savage". this was an ugly, dangerous and very unpleasant time for LGBT+ people." So it seemed to be the fashion at the time," he said. Eleven people were arrested and two customers were injured. It wasn't illegal, and the suggestion it made people more vulnerable to Aids had already been debunked. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. God knows to this day why they raided it." We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. Around that time, newspapers were warning about the use of amyl nitrate, also known as poppers. Tables and chairs were going over. But one pre-fame story shows his role in fighting for LGBT rights.

'A brilliant comedian and broadcast personality, and a much admired campaigner for LGBT+ equality and animal rights'

In 2017, O’Grady hosted a Channel 5 reboot of Blind Date; and in 2021 the ITV celebrity gameshow Paul O’Grady’s Saturday Night Line Up. In 2011 he quit Paul O’Grady Live after becoming exasperated with his role as a chatshow host: “I felt part of the PR machine. 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. “They made many arrests but we were a stoic lot and it was business as usual the next night.” 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”. “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 ... By then O’Grady was a popular household name, and in 2008 he was appointed MBE. In the 1970s he worked for Camden council in north London as a peripatetic carer. According to the veteran LGBTQ+ campaigner Peter Tatchell, O’Grady at first thought they were strippers and part of the show. “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. “My nose was out to here and I had a black eye, but I said: ‘I’m not ruining my holiday,’” he recalled. 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 make-up, white stilettos, a leopard skin miniskirt and a matching fake-fur coat.

Paul O'Grady's close friend and former Avengers actress Linda Thorson revealed the presenter died at home on Thursday's Good Morning Britain.

[Paddy McGuinness](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/paddy-mcguinness) added: "Paul started in the pubs and working men's clubs but finished as an icon of British TV. They'll all be partying in heaven and the Queen." "He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion. Rest in peace Paul." [Susanna Reid](https://www.irishmirror.ie/all-about/susanna-reid) and Adil Ray: "He was so happy, full of life. He's only 41, he will be so bereft of Paul, he worshipped Paul.

The TV star was hailed as 'one of the greatest drag artists the UK has ever seen' at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern on Wednesday night.

In the village of Adlington where he lived, personal messages were left outside his home, one of which read: “Farewell Paul… He added: “It was around raising up the community, and when you move from a stage like this into the mainstream, when you move into breakfast f****** television… “He was just very human … Paul O’Grady was an absolute legend of the community.” I can take him some time if he wants to go?” “Obviously a moment of silence is polite…

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.

Before Paul O'Grady became a prime-time TV presenter, he was best known for his comic alter ego Lily Savage - who rose to fame on the nightclub circuit in ...

"It was around raising up the community, and when you move from a stage like this into the mainstream, when you move into breakfast f****** television... I can take him some time if he wants to go?" Paul O'Grady was an absolute legend of the community." "Obviously a moment of silence is polite... "He would fall in love with that dog and the dog would fall in love with him too and you can't pretend, that was so authentic, that really was Paul - a true animal lover in every bone in his body." but I don't think a moment of silence is right. "He could walk into a kennel with a dog he had never met before, sit on the floor and play with that dog and bond with that dog within minutes. I think this is a moment to applaud, a moment to love, a moment to cheer," he said. "Eight years of doing solo shows... Telling the audience that "a trailblazer and a legend has left us", he then led the crowd in a round of applause. Instead of the typical minute's silence, there was a minute of raucous applause from the audience at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) in south London on Wednesday evening - a moment to cheer in memory of the "trailblazer and legend". [O'Grady](https://news.sky.com/topic/paul-ogrady-10651) died " [unexpectedly but peacefully" at the age of 67](https://news.sky.com/story/paul-ogrady-tv-star-and-comedian-dies-unexpectedly-12844598) on Tuesday evening.

The TV star was hailed as 'one of the greatest drag artists the UK has ever seen' at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern on Wednesday night.

In the village of Adlington where he lived, personal messages were left outside his home, one of which read: “Farewell Paul… He added: “It was around raising up the community, and when you move from a stage like this into the mainstream, when you move into breakfast f****** television… “He was just very human … Paul O’Grady was an absolute legend of the community.” I can take him some time if he wants to go?” “Obviously a moment of silence is polite…

O'Grady's camp creation built on the legacy of drag artists that came before him and helped change the visibility of LGBTQ+ people in the UK.

In the US, criticism of drag has escalated even further, with a [recent law](https://news.sky.com/story/tennessee-becomes-first-us-state-to-ban-public-drag-performances-12824159) passed in Tennessee that bans drag and female impersonation in public. I was asked to go on stage for an interactive segment of the show, and Lily was just as charismatic and captivating in person as she was from the back of the theatre. RIP “Lily of the Scally”. They argue that the “sexualisation and inappropriateness” of drag represent a threat to children. This led to users on internet forum Mumsnet, [gender-critical feminists](https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/society/953619/what-are-gender-critical-beliefs) (women who believe that sex is biological and immutable and cannot be conflated with gender identity) and anti-drag critics [calling for them to be cancelled](https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/06/23/drag-queen-story-hour-uk-aida-h-dee-sab-samuel-leeds-city-council-sarah-field-mumsnet/?fbclid=IwAR1kts2g7Z30tlIC1waptxwEX0C0bD5_ccjDTXeUvLkRiL6fJmW5z0ipen8). Drag is not only a unique display of artistry and a political standpoint; one of its primary functions has always been that of entertainment. However, it is important to acknowledge the cultural history of drag and those artists, such as O’Grady, who paved the way for a wider social acceptance. After this successful run, O’Grady began to step back from Lily and appear more as himself, with a number of popular programmes such as The Paul O’Grady Show and For the Love of Dogs. [Camilla the Queen Consort](https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1640997462176419840?cxt=HHwWgMC-peuf_8UtAAAA), who stated that O'Grady’s “warm heart and infectious humour lit up the lives of so many”. [term “drag” dates back to Shakespeare](https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbkmkmn#:%7E:text=Shakespeare's%20As%20You%20Like%20It,would%20drag%20along%20the%20floor.) with men playing women’s roles. [Lily Savage](https://www.oocities.org/lilysavage_uk/biography.html) in the early 1980s, where he became popular with queer locals. [Danny La Rue](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/jun/01/danny-la-rue-obituary), [Dame Edna Everage](https://twitter.com/dameednaeverage?lang=en-GB) and Lily Savage, who would often be seen on mainstream television programmes.

Paul O'Grady was “irreplaceable and hilarious”, according to the team behind Annie the Musical, which he was due to perform in Dublin this year.

The team from Annie said: “Everyone at Annie the Musical is stunned and saddened by the passing of Paul O’Grady. Paul was due to hit the stage as Miss Hannigan in the classic musical at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre from August 29 until September 3 this year. Paul O’Grady was “irreplaceable and hilarious”, according to the team behind Annie the Musical, which he was due to perform in Dublin this year.

Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden is facing backlash over comments she made about television presenter Paul O'Grady in the wake of his sudden death.

Ask Amanda what woke means." "Does Amanda Holden have any clue what the word 'woke' means. Holden then continued: "He had massive opinions on everything, which I love people like that.

Paul O'Grady has been remembered as "one of the greatest drag artists the UK has ever seen" at a south London venue where he found mainstream success.

In the village of Adlington where he lived, personal messages were left outside his home, one of which read: "Farewell Paul… He added: "It was around raising up the community, and when you move from a stage like this into the mainstream, when you move into breakfast f****** television… Paul O’Grady was an absolute legend of the community." "Obviously, a moment of silence is polite… I can take him some time if he wants to go?" [@MichaelTwaits]and a moment of loving noise from tonight’s audience for an RVT legend and LGBTQ trailblazer, Paul O’Grady/Lily Savage.