Paul O’Grady, TV star and comedian, dies ‘unexpectedly’
TV star and comedian Paul O’Grady has died at the age of 67, his husband Andre Portasio has said.
In a statement, he said the star, known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening.
The presenter, who was born in Merseyside, hosted a number of game shows including Blankety Blank in the late 90s under the guise of Savage.
His career spanned more than 30 years, during which he hosted The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date and For The Love Of Dogs.
He also featured on TV shows such as Dr Who and Holby City.
Paul O’Grady with rescue dogs at London’s Battersea Park
Mr Portasio, who married O’Grady in 2017, said: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.
“We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.
“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.”
O’Grady also leaves behind his daughter Sharon, who he had with close friend Diane Jansen in 1974, as well as two grandchildren.
He was also once married to Portuguese model Teresa Fernandes in what he called a “marriage of convenience” in 1977, reportedly to stop her from being deported – they later divorced in 2005.
O’Grady said Fernandes, a lesbian from a strict Catholic family, had been feeling pressure to get married and that he wanted to help her.
Paul O’Grady and Andre Portasio married in 2017
Queen Elizabeth II with Paul O’Grady at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London in 2015
In 2012, O’Grady spoke about his health after having had two heart attacks.
He said following the publication of his third book: “The worst thing you can do is to sit and fret.
“I take tablets and have check-ups every eight months when they put me on the treadmill. I say to them, ‘Heart attack or not, I’m hopeless on treadmills!'”
Both his parents died young from heart problems – his father when O’Grady was in his late teens and his mother, whose maiden name was Savage, when he was 33.
The name is believed to have inspired his famous drag alter ego who helped propel him to mainstream success.
Paul O’Grady being handed an OBE by then Prince Charles in 2008
‘We have lost a unique talent’
Long-time friend and producer, Malcolm Prince, offered his tribute to O’Grady having visited him at his home only yesterday.
Mr Prince said: “I popped round to Paul’s for a good old catch-up. Surrounded by his beloved dogs, he was laughing smiling and full of life. 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. We were all lucky to have Paul in our lives.
“My heart goes out to Andre, Paul’s family, and friends. Oh how I’ll miss him.”
‘He made millions laugh’: Tributes pour in for O’Grady
The rise of Paul O’Grady
He began his career as Lily Savage in the 1970s and the act later gained traction at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern cabaret club, where he was a prominent advocate of LGBT+ issues.
The Savage persona propelled him to TV and radio whilst he remained in character, and he took over as The Big Breakfast presenter in 1995.
Blankety Blank, which ran until 2002, would showcase his dry humour.
O’Grady was a trailblazer – and his humour and honesty resonated with people
Funny and formidable. Paul O’Grady was a one-off. Few that could match his sharp tongue, that warmth, that wit.
Much is made today of how Ru Paul’s Drag Race has brought drag to a mainstream audience, but long before that here in Britain it was O’Grady who brought the subculture from the fringes of society to primetime TV without watering it down or compromising what it stood for, not even an inch.
Incidentally O’Grady wasn’t a fan of Drag Race.
“That’s not drag!” he’d said. “It’s all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels.”
With O’Grady it symbolised more. He was a trailblazer at a time when the queer community endured horrific homophobia.
Yes there’d been Danny La Rue and Dame Edna Everage on screen, but his acerbic alter ego Lily Savage – a single mum turned middle-aged prostitute who regularly went on the rob – was born straight out of a London comedy scene that was loud, scrappy and up for a fight if you had a problem with what the community stood for.
O’Grady took no prisoners. His humour and honesty resonated and the public quite rightfully loved him. A true one-off.
Comedy chat shows would follow with The Paul O’Grady Show in 2004, and Paul O’Grady Live in 2010, which featured guests like Kylie Minogue, Tom Jones and Michael McIntyre.
The presenter was honoured with an MBE for services to entertainment in 2008, adding to a list of achievements including a TV Bafta, a British Comedy Award, and a National Television Award for The Paul O’Grady Show.
Last year O’Grady commemorated 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home with the Queen Consort in a special episode of For The Love Of Dogs.
Paul O’Grady standing next to a former costume of his alter ego Lily Savage at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery in 2011
Further tributes have poured in for the much-loved comedian.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “Paul wasn’t just a brilliant comedian and broadcast personality but a much-admired campaigner for LGBT+ equality and animal rights.”
ITV’s Lorraine Kelly described him as “a really special man” and “funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise”.
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Om Fahad: Iraqi social media influencer shot dead by gunman on motorbike who posed as food delivery rider – report
A well-known Iraqi social media influencer has reportedly been shot dead in her car by a gunman on a motorbike.
Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was killed outside her home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district on Friday, according to the AFP news agency, citing security officials.
It appears the unidentified attacker pretended to be delivering food to the victim, one security source said.
Om Fahad, who has nearly half a million TikTok followers, became famous for posting light-hearted videos where she dances to Iraqi music.
Six days ago, she shared footage of herself driving in a car and also posing in front of a mirror. They have each been watched hundreds of thousands of times.
The influencer was sentenced to six months in prison in February last year for sharing videos that a court ruled contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”.
A campaign was launched in 2023 by the Iraqi government to clamp down on social media content which broke the country’s “morals and traditions”.
The interior ministry set up a committee to look for “offensive” clips on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, with several influencers being arrested.
“This type of content is no less dangerous than organised crime,” the ministry declared in a promotional video which asked the public to help by reporting such content.
“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Speaking last year, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan argued the morality campaign has “nothing to do with freedom of expression”.
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In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad shot dead Tara Fares, who was a model and influencer.
After years of war and sectarian conflict following the 2003 US invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to some semblance of normality despite sporadic violence, political instability and corruption.
But civil liberties, particularly among women and sexual minorities, are still constrained in a conservative and male-dominated society.
R Kelly’s challenge against a 20-year sentence for child sex convictions has been quashed by an appeals court.
The singer was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Chicago court ruled on Friday.
He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
In his appeal, Kelly, 57, argued Illinois’ old statute of limitations – which required prosecution of child sex crime charges within 10 years – should have applied, rather than the current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive.
The appeals court rejected this, labelling it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet”.
He also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence that became a focal point of the Chicago trial.
Prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser, only identified as Jane, testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken.
The three-judge panel from the appeals court noted jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes”.
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In a written statement, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said they plan to seek a US Supreme Court review of the decision and “pursue all of his appellate remedies until we free R Kelly”.
“We are disappointed in the ruling, but our fight is far from over,” she said.
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