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

The TV presenter and comedian died "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday evening, his partner says.

The role is responsible for representing the King at events in the area. He had previously had heart attacks in 2002 and 2006, the latter requiring a stay in intensive care. The TV star had a daughter with his friend Diane Jansen in 1974. It was later revived in 2013 on ITV and remained on air for two years. He began performing as Lily Savage in the 1970s. We have lost a unique talent - and I've lost a dear friend."

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.

His career spanned more than three decades - from drag acts in London, to being awarded an MBE and beyond.

All pictures subject to copyright. Paul O'Grady: A life in pictures [his death aged 67](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65108130), presenter, comedian and drag queen Paul O'Grady had a vibrant and varied career in the entertainment industry spanning more than three decades.

Partner announces 'unexpected but peaceful' death of personality who fronted Blind Date, Blankety Blank and was known for his drag persona Lily Savage.

In his final show, he said it was “one of the longest jobs I’ve ever held down. A well-known animal lover who kept dogs, pigs, bats, ferrets and more at his farm in Kent, O’Grady also presented the award-winning show For The Love Of Dogs. Last year he was joined by the queen consort in a special one-off episode to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, an organisation for which he was an ambassador. By 1978, he was developing his drag act Lily Savage in gay clubs, basing the loud-mouthed single mother and occasional sex worker on female relatives. He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion,” Portasio said in his statement. In 1991, when he was nominated for the Perrier award, the UK’s most prestigious comedy prize, O’Grady came to mainstream attention and began appearing on radio and television as himself.

Before his death aged 67, presenter, comedian and drag queen Paul O'Grady had a vibrant and varied career in the entertainment industry spanning more than ...

All pictures subject to copyright. Paul O'Grady: A life in pictures [his death aged 67](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65108130), presenter, comedian and drag queen Paul O'Grady had a vibrant and varied career in the entertainment industry spanning more than three decades.

The TV star died 'unexpectedly but peacefully' on Tuesday evening, a statement shared with the PA news agency via a representative said.

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. 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.

Partner announces "unexpected but peaceful" death of presenter and comedian best known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage.

What sad news, sending sympathy to the whole cast and crew," another said. A talented presenter, actor and broadcaster with an unrivalled love for animals," one Instagram user wrote. "So sad.

Paul O'Grady is known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage. His husband confirmed he died “unexpectedly but peacefully”.

O'Grady’s hosted chat shows, game shows, presented Blind Date, and had been a presenter on BCC's Radio 2 up until last year. *

Entertainer Paul O'Grady, who achieved fame as drag queen Lily Savage before becoming a much-loved comedian and host on British television, has died.

Camilla, the queen consort, was a guest on the show last year. “Paul was one of the loveliest people you could ever meet,” Tatchell said. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fellow drag queens praised the character for helping to pave the way for thousands of artists.

"They've paved the way for legions of drag artists and I wouldn't be here without them." at the time I had no idea who I was and what I wanted to be... "Drag isn't scary and it's been around for a long time and we ain't going anywhere, baby!," they said, adding: "He's an icon and he's an inspiration to so many queer people that want to make it in the entertainment industry." "For Paul to make it mainstream on television just after the Aids crisis and working through it as an entertainer really was a testament to who he was as a person," they said. but she made me feel comfortable for the first time." Describing O'Grady as a "trailblazer", they told BBC News: "He took drag to the mainstream and really set the way for people like me to be able to do our jobs."

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 ...

Paul O'Grady drag act Lily Savage, 'brassy chain-smoking trollop'. March 30, 2023 — 2.30pm.

O’Grady was working up to 20 hours a day, most of them in a heavy wig and corset, and in April 2002 he had a heart attack. He returned to Liverpool, however, when the hotel summoned the police after he had “borrowed” a bottle of Campari to take to a party. Politically on the Left, he proclaimed a visceral hatred of Margaret Thatcher and successive Conservative governments. “I met loads of Lilies,” he recalled, “London Lilies. During this period he had a casual affair with a woman in the court collection office 10 years his senior which produced his daughter, Sharyn. O’Grady drew on his memories of growing up on Merseyside for much of Lily Savage’s character (his mother’s maiden name was Savage). Paul James O’Grady was born into a working-class Irish family on June 14 1955 in Tranmere, Birkenhead, the youngest of three children. Unimpressed by the ragbag selection of drag acts he saw singing repetitive covers of Shirley Bassey songs, he created Lily Savage, the brassy, six-foot-two-inch, chain-smoking trollop who admitted to having dabbled in “the oldest profession”. As O’Grady liked to explain: “She’s a dirty old bag really.” As a boy, Paul made regular visits to his father’s family farm in Ireland which fostered a love of animals and the countryside in contrast to his urban origins in a devout Catholic household. Originally a south London drag act in gay pubs, Lily Savage was established by O’Grady as one of the most popular figures on mainstream television. Audiences loved Lily’s brazen vulgarity and in 1993 she shared the bill with the comedienne Victoria Wood at the London Palladium.

TV presenter known for his drag persona Lily Savage died 'unexpectedly but peacefully', his partner Andre Portasio said.

[Paul O’Grady](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/paul-ogrady?CMP=ILC-refresh), who [died on Tuesday evening (28 March)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-o-grady-death-cause-67-b2309853.html), aged 67. “Appearing on The Paul O’Grady Show was always fun. In his tribute, It’s a Sin creator Russell T Davies named O’Grady as being ‘ferocious in the fight against Aids’. His positions might not be exactly my positions, although ripping into the Tories like he did – absolutely. [Eddie Izzard honours Paul O’Grady for his ‘positive mark’ on the country’s history](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-ogrady-death-eddie-izzard-tribute-b2310509.html) He was a lovely, decent guy who cared about people. But he did things his way and with aplomb. [‘Minute of applause’ observed for Paul O’Grady at famous London drag show venue](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/london-paul-o-grady-vauxhall-eddie-izzard-england-b2310599.html) [Paul O’Grady remembered as ‘ferocious in the fight against Aids’](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-ogrady-aids-hiv-elton-john-b2310260.html) [TV presenter and comedian Paul O’Grady has died aged 67.](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-o-grady-dies-cause-death-age-tributes-b2309927.html) [ instead of Paul O’Grady.](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-ogrady-dominic-raab-paul-grayson-b2310206.html) [known for his drag persona Lily Savage,](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/paul-ogrady-lily-savage-police-raid-b2309959.html) won numerous accolades including a TV Bafta, a British Comedy Award, and a National Television Award for The Paul O’Grady Show.

LONDON — Paul O'Grady, a British comedian and television host who portrayed drag queen Lily Savage during the 1980s and ′90s, died Tuesday. He was 67.

[BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65108130?at_link_origin=BBCBreaking&at_campaign_type=owned&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_link_id=ED41D83E-CDD4-11ED-9BC7-6FBBECABB293&at_link_type=web_link&at_format=link&at_medium=social&at_bbc_team=editorial), O’Grady was the host for several network shows, including the game show “Blankety Blank.” He also used his platform on television to express his love for dogs. I’m obsessed with them.” “It’s all animals. He will be so dearly missed by all of us at Battersea. He used his persona to address the AIDS crisis and LGBTQ rights. We’re deeply saddened to learn that our wonderful, kind friend and beloved Ambassador Paul O’Grady MBE has passed away.

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.

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.

Amanda Holden has been criticised following her tribute to Paul O'Grady, who died aged 67 earlier this week.

I've been thinking about that bizarre, clueless Amanda Holden comment about Paul O'Grady not having "a woke bone in his body". [March 29, 2023] He knew what free speech was, and used it,” another added. The word originates from African American culture as a term to refer to someone who is aware of racial prejudices. “Do you know what I loved about him? “I have to say I’m completely shocked,” Holden said.

Author Nick Blackburn on the sudden loss of the British drag icon and gay rights activist.

O’Grady had a rarely matched knack of costuming the political in a blur of irony: very few broadcasters could do what he achieved, in plainclothes on Paul O’Grady Live (2010–11) with hardly a catch-me-if-you-can twinkle. When a drag act dies, they become part of the masonry, bricks in a stone wall. Midshot on O’Grady persuading the landlord to let Savage and Sandra Hush perform the lunchtime jackal’s graveyard set of a Leeds pub to a sparse crowd expecting strippers. Pan camera to take in the early live drag acts (The Glamazons, The Playgirls) and cheap lodgings in London (Camden, Purley). You don’t walk in the footsteps of people at the Tavern, you keep your eyes on the road, but Savage is in the fabric of the place, and she is woven into the work of everyone who sat quaking under her gaze. When Queens, Kings and Things take the stage, we see what it is to be ripped away from our identities, our borders, our prisons.