It’s been two years since the death of much-loved TV presenter Paul O’Grady, who sadly passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” in his home at the age of 67 in 2023
Two years to the day since we lost the telly legend, intimate details about Paul O’Grady’s final moments have been revealed.
The much-loved presenter, who once questioned if he’d even hit 60, passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” on March 28, 2023, at 67 years young. As we remember him on this poignant second anniversary, Paul’s hubby André Portasio has shared a touching video of the star, taken just before he left us. In the footage, Paul is all smiles, expressing his thanks to fans for delving into one of his books.
Tragically, a mere 20 minutes after the video was shot, he was gone. Andre took to Instagram with the clip, penning: “It’s incredible how our minds can shield us from the pain of loss in moments of shock. Today, my iPhotos reminded me of a lost video I recorded of Paul just 20 minutes before he sadly passed – what became the last recording he ever made to camera.”
He continued: “In this bittersweet moment, you see him as the genuinely kind man he was, expressing heartfelt gratitude to everyone for supporting his book, which he recorded for an award ceremony he couldn’t attend. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since his passing. All the while, he’s surrounded by his beloved dogs. We miss you dearly @paulogrady. Happy heavenly birthday! #paulogrady.”, reports the Mirror.
Paul’s death certificate officially states he passed away from sudden cardiac arrhythmia, which the British Heart Foundation explains can lead to a fatal cardiac arrest if an abnormal heart rhythm goes untreated.
Heart problems were no stranger to Paul’s family; both his parents, Mary and Patrick, suffered heart attacks in the same week, with his father’s attack being deadly and his mother later succumbing to another.
As details of his last moments surface, Daily Star delves into the star’s prolonged health struggles…. Before reaching 65, Paul had already endured three heart attacks. His first one struck at the tender age of 47 back in 2002.
That alarming health scare was a wake-up call for Paul, who then ditched alcohol and stepped up his fitness regime, facing the reality of his mortality head-on.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Paul reflected: “I grew up overnight. It really did shake me and I’ve toed the line ever since. I’ve just sort of gone off booze. I didn’t even have a drink on my birthday last month. It’s not like the old days when I could neck ten pints of cider – now I’d be ill as a dog. The hangovers aren’t worth it.”
He added, “I used to think I was invincible but now I’m running out of lives. I’m not scared of death at all… It’s the way you die that worries me – that’s the fear.”
Regrettably, Paul suffered a second, more intense heart attack in 2006. Post undergoing tests and surgery to unblock an artery, he was prescribed blood-thinning medication, leaving him feeling like a ‘wreck’.
In a conversation with the Mirror, Paul expressed: “I’m like a broken toy – I’m f****d. I think I should really just be taken out and shot.
“I’m not at my best, to put it mildly. I’ve had so many blood tests I’ve got the arms of a junkie. You wouldn’t even recognise me. I have days when I feel extremely tired. The tablets induce a lot of coughing and my blood’s so thin that if I bump into the sofa I get a massive bruise. I’m a bloody wreck.”
This second attack occurred almost a year after the tragic death of Brendan Murphy, Paul’s ex-partner and manager, who succumbed to brain cancer at 49. Paul added: “The doctor said I’d put a lot of pressure on my heart with a trauma like that and that it’s not uncommon for something to happen a year later.”
In 2014, Paul experienced another heart attack, later referring to himself as ‘a human version of the Titanic, forever dodging icebergs’.
After being declared healthy in 2021, Paul told the Daily Star: “My cardiologist thought I should have a pacemaker, so he sent me to the specialist. I had the ECG and all that business – but the specialist said, ‘You don’t need the pacemaker. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it’.”
Besides his heart issues, Paul had a near-death experience due to kidney failure in 2017 while filming For the Love of Dogs: India. The animal enthusiast contracted a virus after interacting with injured street dogs, which led to severe vomiting and dehydration.
In a characteristic witty tone, Paul shared with the Mirror in 2018: “Getting ill was my own fault. They said to me, ‘Keep off the streets, it’s Delhi’. But I was lying in the gutter with these two gorgeous little puppies.
“I’m feeding them by hand and flicking maggots out of a rat bite, and of course, I must have touched my mouth or my face – you forget. When you work with animals, you’re not squeamish.
“At five o’clock in the morning, I’m still vomiting. Ten o’clock at night, I’m still at it. They called the doctor and he said you’re going in because you’re so dehydrated. When I got in there, they said your white blood cells are going berserk, you’re heading for renal failure’.”
Following a hospital visit, Paul received saline and antibiotics but chose to discharge himself after just one night, eager to resume work.
In 2022, Paul was severely affected by Covid-19, leaving him unable to work for two months. He shared with the Mirror: “I managed to escape Covid until last year and then I caught it. I didn’t half get it; I was really ill.
“It wiped me out, I was shocked at how bad I was. I was a good two months getting over it. My breath had gone. I’d go out to feed the pigs and I’d have to sit down two or three times on my way there, wheezing.”
The Blankety Blank legend was so worried about his condition that he reached out to his heart specialist, fearing he might never bounce back. After some tests, Paul was labelled a long Covid sufferer and spent summer 2022 recuperating on his farm in Kent.
Paul shared: “All I did was sleep. I’d wake up, go downstairs and sit on the couch and then pass out for another four hours. I’d get up, have a cup of tea and then go back to bed and sleep all night, it was very odd. I just felt terrible with it. I’ve never slept so much in my life. I’d had all the jabs, but it just finished me off.
“Thank God I’m over it now, but at one time I thought: ‘Is this ever going to go? Am I ever going to get my energy back and stop being tired?’ It wasn’t pleasant.”
Paul’s battle with cigarette addiction was no secret; he often joked that his two great loves were ‘Benson and Hedges’. Reflecting on the challenge of quitting, the telly favourite, who smoked a staggering 40 cigarettes daily, once said with a laugh: “I’ve always said I have two great loves, Benson and Hedges, so it’s not been easy quitting.
“But while smoking hasn’t helped, I think my heart problems are congenital. Mum and dad died from it.
“You’ve no idea how much I’ve looked after myself – gym, swimming, long walks, soya milk… to think I’ve deprived myself of Jersey full-fat milk for all this time.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
