Paul O’Grady was ‘laughing, smiling and full of life’ just hours before his death, his close friend and radio producer Malcolm Prince revealed – as the Queen Consort joined those paying tribute to the star.
The comedian and TV presenter, who rose to fame on the nightclub circuit as the acerbic, platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage, died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ last night at the age of 67, his partner Andre Portasio said in a statement.
O’Grady has been hailed as a ‘trailblazer’ for breaking into the mainstream broadcasting landscape with his alter ego and for his charity work around animals and Aids.
Prince, who worked with O’Grady at both BBC Radio 2 and Boom Radio – an independent station aimed at Baby Boomers – said he is devastated by his loss and added in a tweet: ‘Yesterday afternoon I popped round to Paul’s for a good old catch-up.
‘Surrounded by his beloved dogs, he was laughing, smiling and web site full of life.’
The royal family’s official Twitter account paid tribute this morning, posting an image of O’Grady with Camilla, after they worked closely in support of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
The post read: ‘Deeply saddened to hear of the death of Paul O’Grady, who worked closely with Her Majesty in support of @Battersea, providing lots of laughter and many waggy-tailed memories.’
Camilla will be sharing her sympathies with O’Grady’s family privately in due course, Buckingham Palace added.
Paul O’Grady in the musical Annie where he played Miss Hannigan to great acclaim. He is pictured in the show at Newcastle Theatre Royal on March 7, before it moved to Edinburgh
This is believed to be the last picture taken of Paul O’Grady, at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Saturday, March 25. He is pictured with a dog called Frankie who appears in theatre shows
Paul O’Grady hosted classic TV quiz show Blankety Blank as his alter-ego Lily Savage
Paul O’Grady, pictured last week, was playing Miss Hannigan in a theatre production of Annie. He is pictured with Mela the dog, one of the Edinburgh Playhouse dogs, on Thursday, March 23
Prince said that O’Grady, who had been touring playing Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie, had been ‘so proud’ of the role and added: ‘He was looking forward to so many new projects. And now he’s gone.
‘I can’t believe it. We have lost a unique talent – and I’ve lost a dear friend. We were all lucky to have Paul in our lives. My heart goes out to Andre, Paul’s family, and friends. Oh how I’ll miss him.’