This sucks :( I remember I used to watch the Paul O’Grady show with my grandparents whenever I’d spend the night at their house. Used to love seeing his work with dogs. Seemed like such a genuine and kind hearted man. Rip

What a shame. He was so good with the dog shows. I believe couple of years back he did have a heart issue/treatment.

He will be sadly missed.

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Jesus I know it's stupid to say, but that's very unexpected. An astonishing man and a fantastic advocate. A life well lived.

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67 is really no age. RIP

Lily Savage's run on Blankety Blank remains the most exciting TV show in modern history.

He hasn't had an easy time as of late, though. He was shafted of his BBC Radio 2 show, for instance (he didn't want to share a time slot with, I think, Rob Beckett?)

Anyone coming here never having seen the comedy stylings of Lily Savage, watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RPpicb6ArY

I remember watching him learning to drive on a show that aired in NZ, a very funny man.

He was a household name here and much loved. Rest in Peace.

Some special individuals really add to the culture and essence of a place or era, and leave an indelible mark in our minds, Paul was one of those few good people, whose warmth, humour and kindness could be felt across the airwaves, he will be sadly missed.

A gay bar he was working at was raided in the 80s at the height of the AIDS crisis. He was on stage when police wearing rubber gloves stormed the building. Without skipping a beat, he says "oh great, we've got some help with the washing up!".

Unexpectedly could mean anything from a heart attack to a stroke. Best thing that can happen to all of us is an instant, painless death after living a good life. Still, 67 feels young these days.

I can't help but compare the public attitude to Paul O'Grady in the UK, and how he would be regarded in the USA. Here, he's regarded as a very funny man with a mischievous way of talking - a star and a hero - but in the US he'd probably get arrested as someone who would corrupt public morals.

Well, that was 3 hours well spent reminiscing on the fabulous Lilly Savage

Damn I didn't even know he was ill

He was big as lily savage

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O'Grady became a domestic household name in his later years, but it’s hard to capture now just how bold a figure he was back in the day. The Lily Savage persona owed a little to Panto, sure, but she was a very distinctly and uniquely British drag character, and as strange as it is to think I genuinely think she was good for LGBT representation in media. Your dad might think it's weird to see a guy in a dress, but he can't deny how funny some incredibly brutal joke about some public figure or other was.

Savage is credited with starting at least one riot and would have eaten most modern Queens for tea, incidentally.

Everything about her was perfect. The ever present cigarette hanging from her fingers, the leopard print, the just-slightly-heightened wig, the just-slightly-exaggerated accent, the pure vinegar of her tone about everything... Just magic.

> I believe couple of years back he did have a heart issue/treatment.

Yeah he had 2 heart attacks 20yrs ago. Making it 20yrs after those is a v. good innings.

If you need some cheering up check out the blankety blank bloopers on youtube,better than the actual show was.

Yeah, the Simon Mayo tactic. They do that when they wanted to get rid of you but don't have a reason to fire you.

That's a shame. He was one of the last few good TV personalities left.

Genuine question, why is that stupid to say?

And they want to move the retirement age up to 67.

Sad news. He was incredibly quick-witted. He could have eaten most modern-day comedians for breakfast. The support he showed for the welfare of animals is commendable. R.I.P.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I think he was a really important shining example to people who would otherwise be sheltered from homosexuals/drag artists that they’re just people and in this case a hilarious and seemingly very nice one at that!

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RIP Legend. I used to love his Battersea dog and cat home tv show.

Only 67, no real health issues that were public, was still doing radio shows a few months ago etc.

I think he had a few heart attacks over the last decade that he talked about publicly. He was very health conscious as a result. Sad to hear he was so young still.

Ahh I wasn’t aware of his heart troubles :(

I loved his chat show on Channel 4, and all the work he did with the dogs and other various animals.

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Then refused to give his legal name at the station. Man was a pioneer for the LGBTQ community during the 80s

Yeah... Drag as a whole is a huge part of our culture though because the UK loves pantomime shows too where drag is a major part of it so that's probably a big part of why we're more accepting of drag queens. Drag queens are harmless and Paul O'Grady's Lily Savage is a perfect example. Lily Savage is a classic drag queen and was absolutely hilarious to watch hosting Blankity Blank.

He was absolutely incredible-someone shared this clip of him from his show and he's just so fucking funny. He always stuck with his roots no matter how big he got on TV and before this, he used to do drag as Lily Savage and that was just as funny, if not funnier.

He's gonna be sorely missed by many of us here in the UK.

Your right, at least it was quick

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Several tweets saying there'd be uproar if that was broadcast today, and it's sadly true.

Mad to think that about that, of all O’Grady’s stuff.

Uproar over what he said? Not a chance. The Tories are outright HATED in the UK-any comedian blasting them over their bullshit would be praised. There's comedians that do it right now. Everything he said here would be aired just fine.

If the Tories were that hated they wouldn't keep getting in. Which was a similar dynamic to Savage's heyday.

Think about how much gnashing of teeth there was over BBC not being deferential enough, or the clear moves to punish Channel 4 for factually unflattering reporting.

Probably because of how unelectable the only opposition party is now. Corbyn stood a good chance but he was absolutely hammered by the papers and news here. Now look at Labour. Starmer can't even name one bloody policy he wants to put in place and he's backed down on so many things-he claimed he's an LGBTQ+ ally and yet he refused to speak up in favour of trans rights and has multiple transphobes on his front bench that he does nothing about.

England is now stuck with Tory and Tory Lite. We're fucked either way. Doesn't help that Labour SHOULD be appealing to younger voters so that they can actually get the votes like Corbyn did. If Labour wants to be elected, they need to shift back to the left instead of being centrist and appeal to younger voters who lean left more than right.

As is... There's no party that stands a chance against the Tories in the next election and all the older generations keep voting those fuckers in.

While a great many people might seethe at TV personalities with drag acts you have to keep in mind that there are huge differences in attitudes of Americans depending on what states you are talking about. Ru Paul for example has had his Drage Race show for 14 years now and AFAIK he started gaining prominence in the late '80s (TIL he was in the B-52's Love Shack video)

> If the Tories were that hated they wouldn't keep getting in.

While I do absolutely lament the lack of any critical thought in the UK electorate over the last 13 years...

The Tories got back in the last several times because they harnessed the idiocy of Brexit and Labour proceeded to completely shit the bed at the same time, not because people suddenly thought the Tories had good policies.

I personally know multiple family members that in 2014 wouldn't have pissed on a Tory if they were on fire, to then vote for them in successive elections because they made Brexit their ideology.

He had a 3rd in 2014

I know him from the tv show "Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs" and I am touched by his sudden passing.