Paul O’Grady shot to fame with Lily Savage in the 70s (Picture: Shutterstock)
After winning the hearts of the nation with his drag act Lily Savage, Paul O’Grady became a fixture on our screens, presenting a host of beloved programmes from The Big Breakfast to Blind Date.
The TV presenter and comedian died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ on Tuesday night at the age of 67 and tributes have come pouring in from legends of the screen including Lorraine Kelly and Carol Vorderman.
Born in Birkenhead, Merseyside, in 1955, O’Grady began performing as Lily Savage in the 1970s while working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council in north London.
He went on to tour northern England as part of drag duo the Playgirls, before settling into a solo show as Savage that ran for eight years at London’s Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
The comedian made a name for himself speaking out about LGBT issues and picked up a mainstream following after being nominated for a Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 1991.
O’Grady’s career as Savage took off with TV and radio appearances in character and he was eventually asked to take over from the late Paula Yates as The Big Breakfast presenter as Savage from 1995 to 1996.
O’Grady created Lily Savage in the 1970s (Picture: Ltd/REX Shutterstock)
His TV career continued to soar, with his alter-ego given a chat show, The Lily Savage Show, which ran on the BBC for a short run in 1997, before taking on the revived version of the gameshow Blankety Blank.
O’Grady later 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, which then moved to Channel 4 as The New Paul O’Grady Show.
The TV legend also fronted his own BBC Radio 2 but decided to leave after 14 years in August.
Paul O’Grady with his husband Andre Portasio (Picture: WireImage)
He explained to Metro.co.uk he quit the station because ‘they’re aiming for a much younger audience, which doesn’t make sense.’
The national treasure later announced he would be teaming up with the BBC’s ‘rival’ station Boom Radio but died just days before he was due to helm a special Easter show.
O’Grady, who appeared in various stage production including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, was also due to star as Miss Hannigan later this year, a role shared with Strictly’s Craig Revel Horwood, in a touring production of Annie.
O’Grady fronted a BBC Radio 2 show for more than a decade (Picture: BBC)
He joked to Metro.co.uk he was going to approach the role ‘where she’s got no tolerance at all for kids – all she wants to do is listen to her radio and get drunk.’
In addition to acting and presenting, O’Grady had a life-long love of animals him branch out into presenting different styles of programming, among them Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans, which aired between 2014 and 2016 and saw him visit Africa to meet baby animals.
The Queen Consort even joined him for a special royal episode of his beloved programme, For the Love of Dogs, which celebrated 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
The Queen Consort joined O’Grady for a special episode of For the Love of Dogs (Picture: PA)
A creative polymath, O’Grady authored several books, including an autobiographical series detailing his childhood, the creation of Savage, and his years in the spotlight.
He was made an MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and last year was appointed as a deputy lieutenant of Kent.
O’Grady married ballet dancer Andre Portasio in a secret ceremony in 2017 in front of 50 guests thought to have included Sir Ian McKellan and Julian Clary.
Paul O’Grady with his partner, Andre Portasio (left), sister Sheila Rudd and daughter Sharyn Mously (Picture: PA)
A year before he began dating Andre, O’Grady suffered heartbreak when his long-term boyfriend Brendan Murphy died suddenly of a brain tumour aged just 49.
A father-of-one, O’Grady, had a daughter Sharon, with his friend Diane Jansen.
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Sharon was born in 1974 and had a close relationship with her dad, who even gave her away at her wedding to husband Philip Moseley.
Throughout his career O’Grady picked up various accolades including a TV Bafta, a British Comedy Award, and a National Television Award for The Paul O’Grady Show.
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O’Grady was an on-screen legend.