More than 100 hours of personal audio recordings of beloved TV personality Paul O’Grady, who died in 2023, are due to be shared – and you can get your hands on the stories before Christmas
Telly favourite Paul O’Grady is to share never before told stories and secrets from beyond the grave. That’s because the late star’s pal and radio producer Malcolm Prince recorded more than 100 hours of personal audio recordings with him before he died.
Now they will form the basis of a new official biography on comedian and performer Paul – Not The Same Without You – set for release in time for Christmas.
Malcolm said: “He was a campaigner, a political advocate, and a trailblazer. But most of all, he was a friend. And I’d like to share that person with you.”
Paul was 67 when he died on March 28, 2023 with his husband Andre Portasio announcing it happened “unexpectedly but peacefully”.
The cause of death was reported as sudden cardiac arrhythmia which was linked to his coronary heart disease.
He was famed for his alter-ego Lily Savage and working on Radio 2 as well as shows like ITV’s For The Love of Dogs.
Malcolm previously revealed that on his final day Paul was “laughing and smiling” and was “surrounded by his beloved dogs”.
Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, comic Julian Clary and TV host Carol Vorderman were among the famous faces who paid tribute at his funeral.
Now Malcolm – who left the BBC in 2022 alongside Paul, has promised his book will be packed with “never-before-heard stories” about the Merseyside-born legend.
The blurb boasts: “It’s more than two years since the much-loved entertainer, broadcaster and national treasure Paul O’Grady died, and yet his voice still echoes ― in laughter, in memory, in the unshakeable affection of millions.
“In this deeply personal and definitive biography, Paul’s longtime collaborator Malcolm Prince draws on two decades of friendship ― and over 100 hours of candid audio recordings ― to tell the story of the man behind the icon.
“The sharp-witted, fiercely loyal, irrepressibly funny, and deeply private individual, known to his close friends as ‘Savage’ ― and to the public, in various guises, as the prime time TV star, the nation’s dog-loving agony uncle, and a Sunday afternoon radio companion.
“Malcolm revisits the stages Paul made his own, from the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to the London Palladium; the moments that shaped him; and draws on brand-new interviews with the people who knew him best, including his daughter and grandchildren.
“This is a portrait not just of a gifted entertainer, but of a complex, fiercely loyal, and endlessly curious man, reflecting on a friendship built on shared laughter, private rants, righteous fury, long phone calls, and a healthy dose of gossip ― and on a professional legacy that still feels astonishing in its range and resonance.
“Packed with warmth, humour and never-before-heard stories, Not The Same Without You captures the full measure of a man who defied convention, challenged institutions, made mischief ― and made us all feel like we were his best pal.”
*Paul O’Grady – Not The Same Without You by Malcolm Prince goes on sale on November 6.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
