Paul O'Grady has died aged 67.
Paul O'Grady has passed away
The legendary TV presenter - who rose to fame in the 1990s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage - died "unexpectedly and peacefully" on Tuesday (28.03.23) evening, according to his partner Andre Portasio.
He said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.
"He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.
"I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years."
His long time radio producer Malcolm Prince had visited O'Grady - who had recently been touring as Miss Hannigan in the stage musical 'Annie' - at his home earlier in the afternoon.
He tweeted: "He was so proud of Annie, so happy to be back on Boom Radio, and he was looking forward to so many new projects.
"And now he's gone. I can't believe it. We have lost a unique talent - and I've lost a dear friend."
O'Grady - who was made an BME for services to entertainment in 2008 - first started performing as Lily Savage in the 1970s, going onto launch 'The Lily Savage Show' on the BBC in 1997.
He revived 'Blankety Blank' until 2002, and went on to present a number of chat shows including ITV's teatime programme 'The Paul O'Grady Show' from 2004 to 2005, and then moving over to Channel 4.
In 2017, he took over from Cilla Black on Channel 5's 'Blind Date' reboot, while over the years he also fronted ITV's 'For The Love of Dogs', which was tied to his role as an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
He recently left BBC Radio 2 after 14 years, noting at the time he wasn't pleased with sharing his Sunday afternoon slot.
He was set to join Boom Radio for Easter Sunday in less than two weeks.
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