Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of a Kent village on Thursday for the funeral of comedian and entertainer Paul O’Grady who was been laid to rest following a “moving” service that included a eulogy from actor Julian Clary and a reading from Lord Michael Cashman.
The presenter – known and loved for drag alter-ego Lily Savage – died on 29 March aged 67. While his cause of death is yet to be officially disclosed, he suffered numerous heart attacks over the years.
The service featured a series of personal tributes, including a bronze statue of his beloved late dog Buster that had been placed on a leopard-print throw.
A photograph of a smiling O’Grady was placed at the front of the Grade I listed parish church surrounded by arrangements of lilies.
While the service was private, attended by the entertainer’s family and friends, including Alan Carr and Jo Brand, the village of Aldington, where O’Grady had lived for 20 years, became a hub of remembrance.
After husband Andre Portasio encouraged local fans to come along and offer their sympathies in person, crowds drew ahead of a procession that passed through the village on the way to St Rumwold’s Parish Church “as a way of marking Paul’s affection for the area”.
Hundreds of mourners, many of whom came with their pets to remember O’Grady’s famed love of dogs, stood on the roads holding signs of thanks to the TV personality.
Aldington Primary School attached a large banner reading: “Thank you Mr O’Grady”, as well as a picture of a dog and large hearts carrying smaller messages to O’Grady, to railings and walls near their premises.
As the procession passed through the village, O’Grady’s coffin could be seen next to a floral tribute of a dog wearing a collar bearing the name Buster. Buster was O’Grady’s beloved pet, who died of cancer in 2009.
Portasio rode at the front of the horse-drawn hearse that drove O’Grady’s coffin, carrying one of his husband’s dogs.
Many of O’Grady’s famous friends were in attendance at the funeral, including comedians Brand and Carr, Rolling Stones musician Ronnie Wood, presenter Gaby Roslin, EastEnders stars Cheryl Fergison, Linda Henry and Scott Maslen, Coronation Street’s Sally Lindsay and celebrity chef Andi Oliver.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was also at the event, with O’Grady having previously worked as a patron for Tatchell’s foundation.
Other mourners included actor Dame Sheila Hancock and Barbara Windsor’s widower Scott Mitchell.
In a touching tribute, the Salvation Army band included “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie as mourners filed into the church. At the time of his death, O’Grady was playing spinster orphanage mother Miss Hannigan in a national tour of the show.
His funeral also featured a guard of honour with dogs, in a special nod to O’Grady’s work as an ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in 2012. Since O’Grady’s death, the charity has seen over £100,000 in donations. The presenter also rehomed five dogs while filming his ITV series Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs.
O’Grady had one child: a daughter, Sharyn Mousley, born in 1974, whom he conceived with his friend Diane Jansen. Mousley entered the funeral with a young man who was holding the wig of Lily Savage, O’Grady’s infamous drag alter-ego.
Though O’Grady had considered Kent his home for more than 20 years, he was born and raised in Birkenhead, Merseyside. After moving to London in the late Seventies, O’Grady began to develop his Lily Savage character, made largely of characteristics he’d seen in the women he grew up around.
Savage is frequently named as an inspiration to British drag artists who have performed in the years since. In the weeks since O’Grady’s death, many have revisited the moment that she faced off with police officers who were carrying out a raid at the Vauxhall Tavern.
As well as being a fierce defender of LGBTQ+ rights and an animal lover, many remember O’Grady primarily for his sharp and intelligent sense of humour.
While his cause of death has not yet been confirmed, O’Grady was candid about his 40-a-day smoking habit and the heart issues he’d had throughout the years.
“I have had two heart attacks, and if I get to 60 that will be amazing. I don’t fear anything nowadays,” he told The Mirror in 2013. “There has to be an angel out there. They are trying to steer me out of trouble 24 hours a day.”
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