British Drag Legend Lily Savage Dies At 67 [VIDEO]

March 29, 2023 Britain, LGBT History

The Guardian reports:

Paul O’Grady, the beloved TV presenter and comedian who broke on to the scene with his drag act persona Lily Savage, has died at the age of 67. His husband, Andre Portasio, confirmed in a statement that O’Grady died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening. Days ago, O’Grady had finished a stint playing Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie and was set to resume the role in performances around the UK and Ireland later this year.

During his career, he hosted Bafta-winning talkshow The Paul O’Grady Show, Blankety Blank, and the reboot of Blind Date, taking over the reins from the show’s long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015. A well-known animal lover who kept dogs, pigs, bats, ferrets and more at his farm, O’Grady also presented the award-winning show For The Love Of Dogs.

The BBC reports:



A statement released on behalf of Queen Consort, Camilla, she was “deeply saddened to have learned of the death of Paul O’Grady, with whom she worked closely to support the work of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and whose warm heart and infectious humour lit up the lives of so many”. A spokesperson she will be “sharing her sympathies with Paul’s family privately in due course”.

Danny Beard, winner of the fourth series of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK, told BBC Breakfast O’Grady was “the most important person in British culture for drag”. Campaigner Peter Tatchell described the presenter as a “much-admired campaigner for LGBT+ equality and animal rights”. O’Grady was born in Merseyside in 1955 to a mother whose maiden name was Savage – which is believed to have inspired his famous drag act.

Tags

© joemygod.com 2025