Paul O'Grady: Kent pays tribute to 'wonderfully warm-hearted' entertainer

O'Grady as his drag alter-ego Lily Savage at the Brit Awards in 1995

Tributes have been paid to presenter and comedian Paul O'Grady, who has died at the age of 67.

O'Grady rose to fame in the 1990s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage, going on to present BBC One game show Blankety Blank and other light entertainment programmes.

In November 2022 he was made Kent's deputy lieutenant, having lived in the county for 22 years.

Kent's Lord-Lieutenant Lady Colgrain described him as "warm-hearted".

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Lady Colgrain said: "He was a wonderfully warm-hearted and talented man and would always have a welcome smile and kind word to say.

"I appointed him as Deputy Lieutenant last November as I knew how much he loved the county that he had made his home.

"He was so excited about being deputy lieutenant and all the charities that we worked with were really excited with the idea that he might come and visit them.

"I realised just how much he loved Kent and how much he was associated with Kent."

She said she appointed him because "I think it's important for the lieutenants to sprinkle a bit of stardust."

Last year Paul O'Grady was joined by Camilla, the Queen Consort, for an episode for The Love of Dogs

His former neighbour, BBC Radio Kent presenter Dominic King, said he got to know O'Grady after he knocked on his door about 20 years ago and asked if he knew a physiotherapist in the village of Aldington, near Ashford.

"He was very much part of the community and loved Aldington so much. He treated everyone as his friend. He really wanted to know who you were and what made you tick, and in the village he was a normal person," King said.

"He was such a life force, I think anyone who met him or spent time with him would tell you how real and honest he was."

One of O'Grady's last TV appearances was with Camilla, the Queen Consort, for a one-off episode of ITV's For The Love of Dogs - a series he helped launch in 2012, following the staff at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home near Brands Hatch in Kent - an organisation for which he was an ambassador.

Centre manager Anna Hemmings said: "He was such a huge part of Battersea and such a huge animal lover in every respect.

"He was always just so happy to meet every dog, he would fall head over heels in love with most dogs that he met and promoted the rehoming of rescue dogs"

The comedian Julian Clary, an ex-neighbour of O'Grady's in Kent, tweeted his own tribute to his "fierce and funny friend".

Flowers and a bag of dog treats were left outside his home, in tribute to his passionate support for animal welfare.

Neighbour Fred Jaeger, who had known O'Grady since he moved to the area, said: "He was a wonderful man, we were very fond of him. He was very entertaining and we shall miss him greatly."

Another neighbour said: "Paul was a very inspiring gentleman, a great giver to the village, always going out of his way to help.

"He was a lovely neighbour, loved his animals, always a great guy to talk to and a real loss for us all."

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