A mural celebrating the life of Paul O’Grady has been defaced with graffiti just days after it was created.
The mural appeared under Kingsway on the Fallowfield Loop in Manchester earlier this week after the announcement that the star and television personality died "unexpectedly but peacefully" at the age of 67 on Tuesday evening (March 28).
The original artwork consists of a portrait of Birkenhead-born Paul next to a dog, with the caption "For Paul". It was created by Manchester Murals, who described it earlier this week as a way of recognising the "well-grounded entertainment machine that spanned generations".
READ MORE: Paul O'Grady 'died in his own bed' hours after phone call with close friend
Paul O'Grady fans have praised the piece, with many visiting the mural to pay their respects. However when people arrived on Sunday, April 2, they found it had been vandalised, the MEN reports.
Chris Moore, aka Manchester Murals, said: ”I did this work out of a passion for my art and out of respect for Paul O’Grady who meant so much to people and animals throughout his life. I was instantly driven to create a fitting mural in his honour, and I felt it was only natural to include a dog in that.”
Chris, who said he spent a couple of days working on the project, said he was "disappointed" to discover earlier today that his artwork had been defaced but understood that it’s one of the realities that comes with street art.
He said: “It would have been nice for it to last longer. I only finished it on Thursday so it’s not even been three days since it was created. I can kind of understand people’s disappointment in that the mural has only lasted as long as it has, especially given how recent his passing was, but, ultimately and unfortunately, this is part of the nature of the street art and mural scene."
Chris said he has "not ruled out" the possibility of repairing the artwork, but explained he, ultimately, would prefer to now rehome the design altogether, at Battersea Dogs Home.
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