Paul O’Grady, a famous British comedian and TV personality who gained notoriety as drag queen Lily Savage, has passed away. He was 67.
O’Grady passed away unexpectedly but quietly on Tuesday evening, according to a statement from the comedian’s husband, Andre Portasio, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday. O’Grady experienced a number of heart attacks in the early 2000s.
His loved ones, friends, family, animals, and everyone who liked his humor, wit, and compassion will miss him immensely, according to Portasio.
In 1955, O’Grady was born in Birkenhead, England. O’Grady began his acting career as Lily Savage in the 1980s after working as a caregiver in Camden Town.
O’Grady’s Savage swiftly established himself as a mainstay in London’s stand-up scene, notably the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, while sporting a huge platinum blond wig, heavy eye makeup, and red lipstick.
Lily Savage had more than simply quick wit and vulgar jokes. O’Grady used his drag queen persona as a platform to discuss AIDS and LGBTQ rights.
O’Grady applied his skills to television in the 1990s. The comic hosted many visitors as the host of “The Lily Savage Show,” including Elton John, who paid tribute to O’Grady on Instagram.
John commented on Wednesday, “Thank you for all the joy you brought into the world. We would miss you terribly because you travelled to places no one had ever gone before.
The comedian, who won the entertainment performance BAFTA Award in 2005 for his self-titled talk show, also hosted episodes of the game programs “The Paul O’Grady Show,” “Blind Dating,” and “Blankety Blank.”
O’Grady started hosting ITV’s “Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs” in September 2012. The program highlighted the efforts of the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an organization dedicated to animal rescue.
I’ve always had an obsession with animals, he admitted to “This Morning” in 2019. All of it is animal. I can’t get enough of them.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian that was published in November 2021, O’Grady discussed his close calls with death, his “happiest” memory, and his worst dread (seeing a rat swimming in my toilet).
O’Grady said, “I don’t care, because I won’t be here,” in response to the question about how he would like to be remembered.
Portasio, whom he married in 2017, and O’Grady’s daughter from a previous relationship are his only survivors.
