Paul O'Grady has sadly passed away at the age of 67, his family has confirmed.
As reported by BBC News, the legendary TV and radio presenter - also known by his drag persona Lily Savage - died "unexpectedly but peacefully" on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from his husband, Andre Portasio.
"He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals, and all those who enjoyed his humor, wit, and compassion," Portasio added in his statement.
The TV icon first rose to fame as the sharp-tongued yet lovable drag star Lily Savage throughout the 1980s and 90s. As Savage, the star became a household name, presenting popular UK shows such as The Big Breakfast and Blankety Blank.
But as O'Grady wished to show fans more of himself, he would appear more and more out of drag, on shows like the BBC One sitcom Eyes Down.
No matter how he appeared, fans adored him, and he soon found himself hosting a number of shows such as ITV's The Paul O'Grady Show (The New Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4), and the ever-popular Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs.
Following the news of his passing, many of O'Grady fans and friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to the star.
Fellow presenter Lorraine Kelly tweeted Wednesday morning: "Such sad news. Paul O’Grady - funny, fearless, brave, kind and wise. Will be sorely missed. A really special man."
Journalist and presenter Piers Morgan wrote: "RIP Paul O'Grady, 67. A wonderfully warm, mischievous, hilarious guy with a sublime natural talent for broadcasting and making people laugh."
Vernon Kay - another popular UK presenter - also tweeted: "Paul O’Grady was one of the nicest and kindest people I’ve ever met. Always a joy to be around and obviously, so much fun. He will be missed. Telly and friends have lost one of the best….RIP."
Writer and podcaster Tom Knight highlighted just how important O'Grady was to the UK drag scene prior to popular shows like RuPaul's Drag Race. "Before Drag Race and social media it was rare for queens to break through into mainstream media, Paul was one of the few leading the way and smashing down barriers," Knight wrote. "
Everyone loved him, but he preferred animals. RIP Paul O’Grady AKA the legendary Lily Savage, you will be missed."
In fact, Drag Race UK star Cheddar Gorgeous spoke about the place O'Grady will always have in her heart, writing: "Lily will forever walk the alleyways of our hearts. She was a British institution and cultural icon.
"As drag faces backlash, fuelled by click bait and a homophobic fringe, let us take some comfort today from these wise words: 'If I wanted your opinion, I'd slap it outta ya.'"
Thank you for all the memories and all the laughs.
Our thoughts go out to O'Grady's family, friends, and fans at this time.
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