Paul O'Grady had "nothing planned" for his death after losing most of his friends during the AIDS epidemic, leading him to question why he was "spared".
The late comedian-turned-presenter passed away "unexpectedly but peacefully" aged 67 on Tuesday night, with the sad news confirmed by Paul's husband Andre Portasio.
Yet the Lily Savage star revealed last year, he had no plans for his death.
Paul battled serious health problems as he suffered two heart attacks along with a near-fatal bout of covid.
Heart disease ran in his family, with his mother and father once both suffering heart attacks in the same week. Sadly his father's proved to be fatal. His mum later died of a separate attack.
The national icon also lost many friends throughout the years, including Cilla Black.
"I’ve planned nothing. I’ve had a few blows health-wise and lots of friends – most of my friends – dying in the Aids years," Paul told the Big Issue.
"You think, why was I spared? As you get older you start thinking about the past…"
He added: "Good advice is remember the past but don’t live in it. Move on constantly. I’ve been very lucky and I count my blessings."
The beloved entertainer once admitted he always felt like death was nipping at his heels and would one day catch up with him.
Predicting he wouldn't see 60, Paul told The Mirror: "I do count my blessings.
"I have had two heart attacks, and if I get to 60 that will be amazing. I don't fear anything nowadays."
Paul was a devoted campaigner throughout his life, supporting animal rights, human rights and children's charities.
Paul was also a patron of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, which "seeks to promote and protect the human rights of individuals, communities and nations" in the UK and abroad.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Peter Tatchell recalled a gig in 1987 where Paul was performing at the gay pub the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London.
"Back in the 1980s and beyond, the police were targeting the LGBT+ community. It was pure homophobia, there'd been a partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967, but not a full decriminalisation in England, Wales until 2003.
"So the police were using all these residue laws to really harass and victimise the community and Paul was there about to go on stage, and he told the tale that he was in his dressing room when these policemen burst in. And his first instinct that was that they were strippers and part of the show.
"When he went on stage, he saw the police manhandling the customers wearing rubber gloves, because this is the height of the AIDS pandemic and ignorant and bigoted police believe that if you touched a gay man, you would get HIV. So he shouted out to the coppers, 'Oh good, you're here, you can help with the washing up.'"
Paul was working with Peter to campaign to get an apology from the police for the decades of harassment and victimisation of LGBT+ people.
Peter confirmed he would continue on with the campaign in Paul's honour.
