The date of Paul O'Grady's funeral has been confirmed almost 20 days after his death. The comedian and TV presenter died last month at the age of 67.
Now, it's been confirmed that he will be laid to rest on Thursday (April 20). Fans have also been invited to line the streets to mourn the late star, reports MirrorOnline.
The funeral will be held at Aldington, his home village in Kent. Tonight (Monday, April 17) locals were told that they were also invited to pay their respects as his funeral cortege passes through his home village in Kent.
The DJ, who rose to fame on the nightclub circuit as the acerbic, platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” his partner, Andre Portasio, said last month. The cause of death was reported as cardiac arrhythmia.
The television icon's husband has shared the details of Paul's funeral on local Facebook pages as the nation prepares to say goodbye this week.
Widowed Andre released a new picture of the entertainer smiling broadly while wearing white angel's wings and wrote: "I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of support and love I have received since the passing of our beloved Paul O'Grady.
"Your kind messages, beautiful flowers, and thoughtful texts of condolences have brought me comfort and solace during this difficult time. I'm incredibly grateful for the support and love I have received from our community, and we want to thank each and every one of you for your kindness and generosity.
"As a mark of respect and as Paul would have wanted, we will be holding a private funeral on Thursday, 20th April 2023. This information has not been made public, but I wanted to share it with local residents.
"While the funeral will be a private ceremony, as many of you know, Paul cared a lot about his local community. We have therefore requested that the funeral procession passes through Aldington before heading to the church, as a way of marking Paul's affection for the area.
"We would therefore like to invite all locals to join us in paying our respects to Paul in Aldington Village between 14:10 - 14:45 on Thursday. In order to avoid road congestion and public disorder, we kindly ask all residents to treat this invitation personally and if attending to stand on either Roman Road, Forge Hill, or New Road Hill so to respect the villagers and the local area.
"Please note for public safety Church Road as well as Knoll Hill will be closed on the day of the procession. We kindly ask everyone to respect the family's wishes and maintain social distancing throughout the event. Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult time."
A private memorial is also planned for Port Lympne Safari Park. O’Grady was been hailed as a “trailblazer” for breaking into the mainstream broadcasting landscape with his alter ego and for his charity work around animals and Aids.
The royal family’s official Twitter account paid tribute when the entertainer passed away, posting an image of O’Grady with Camilla, after they worked closely in support of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
The post read: “Deeply saddened to hear of the death of Paul O’Grady, who worked closely with Her Majesty in support of @Battersea_, providing lots of laughter and many waggy-tailed memories."
