Paul O’Grady fans were forced to hold back tears as ITV marked the anniversary of his death with a “wonderful tribute” to him and his career as a drag queen.
The veteran entertainer tragically died at the age of 67 on March 28, 2023. His sudden and tragic death stunned the world of entertainment and saw hundreds of tributes from previous co-stars, guests and organisations he had worked with throughout his years.
At the time, husband Andre Portasio confirmed that Paul had passed “unexpectedly but peacefully” which triggered a huge shock from family, friends and fans alike. It was later revealed that Paul had died from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, dying in his sleep at his home in Kent.
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To mark one year after his passing, ITV produced a 90 minute documentary which documented the star’s career with a focus on his drag career on Good Friday (March 29). The TV special, titled The Life and Death of Lily Savage, featured several famous faces who were close friends of the presenter as he rose to fame in the 1980s.
(Image: ITV)
The special revisited the birth and retirement of Lily, Paul first introduced Lily to the world in 1978 with a performance at the Black Cap pub in Camden, North London. He then went on to rule prime time entertainment, hosting shows such as Blankety Blank and presenting on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast.
But in 2004, despite his success in drag, Paul decided to retire Lily, and she was never seen on stage or screen again. The documentary about Lily’s rise and fall featured old footage of the star, and archive audio of Paul talking about her made it feel like he had narrated the special himself.
Listening to Paul fondly reflecting on his time as Lily was too much for fans to listen to, who were saddened to hear him speak from beyond the grave. Viewers were treated to wild tales with his star-studded pals including Graham Norton, Sir Ian McKellen and Alan Carr to name a few.
(Image: ITV)
As the emotional special hit the airwaves, fans flooded to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their heartache online. One user penned: “Watching the Pal O’Grady/ Lily Savage programme. Slightly bizarre Paul is narrating much of it. Loved Paul O’Grady.”
Another agreed: “Feels a bit emotional hearing Paul’s voice again while he’s talking on this documentary about himself and Lily Savage.” A third echoed: “Paul O’Grady dying was such a loss, I can’t state that enough. #lilysavage.”
A fourth chimed in with: “The Life and Death of #LilySavage on #itv1 – a wonderful tribute and fascinating biography, clearly so lovingly made by everyone involved.” A fifth added: “I still cry that Paul O’Grady is dead #lifeanddeathoflilysavage #lilysavage #PaulOGrady.”
(Image: ITV)
Some fans said they were left in tears while watching the show. Someone else shared: “I am still grieving the loss of Paul O’Grady and Lily Savage.” And another added: “I still cry that Paul O’Grady is dead #lifeanddeathoflilysavage #lilysavage #PaulOGrady.”
Another fan mentioned crying right from the start of the show. They posted: “Lily Savage fans/Paul O’Grady fans. On now ITV1 ‘The Life and Death of Lily Savage’ catch it on ITV1+1 I have already shed a tear. Beautiful Man.”
Others also discussed how funny Paul, and his character Lily were. One user commented: “Still hard to believe Paul O’Grady is gone, Lily Savage was the much loved drag of old when it was about comedy and razer sharp wit and he had it in bucket loads, delivery was genius.”
(Image: ITV)
The show explored how Lily was created, with Paul drawing pictures of ladies as a child and then learning to dress up after being inspired by the 1962 film, Gypsy. He later moved from Cheshire to London and became famous for his drag act and taking Camden and Vauxhall by storm with his routine.
The documentary also showed that Paul and Lily campaigned for gay rights in the 1980s. It showed some touching moments where Paul’s friends talked about the AIDs problem and how sick treated were poorly treated.
But Paul, as Lily, went to see them in hospitals and helped people be kinder. One watcher commented: “How wonderful to be reminded of the wit, kindness and compassion of #PaulOGrady and of course the role model that was #LilySavage.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
