By Elliott West
“I think I could lie there on my death bed and say, ‘Well, I’ve had a good time and filled a book. I’ve done everything I wanted to do’.”
Paul O’Grady
Paul O’Grady, photograph courtesy of The Guardian.
Introduction
I was saddened to hear the announcement that Paul O’Grady passed away suddenly this week at the age of 67. Paul was someone who had funny bones and used his Liverpudlian humour to guide him through his short life that was full of prejudice from others but he never shied away from his sexuality. A proudly gay man, he could make an audience cry with laughter with a humour that was often laced with acid and abrasive tongue. Whether he was Paul or Lily Savage in drag, O’Grady was an early gay activist in an era when it was still shameful to be openly gay but he had to go to hell and back before he became that brazen television figure that we all fondly remember.
Shaped by Life
Paul had a very working-class upbringing but tragedy would strike when his mother had a heart attack when he was only 17. She survived for another 15 years, defying the odds of not being expected to survive until the following morning. However, the news that his mother had been rushed to hospital shocked his father and he collapsed and died the following day. O’Grady who took the Savage stage act surname from his mother’s maiden name softened the struggles of his early life with the strong female characters in his life. The main one being Aunt Chrissie who he described as having a “mouth with a bee’s arse”. A bus driver by profession, his aunt told life as it is but was actually a very witty and gentle soul.
With the men in the family away at sea in the family, the women in his family ruled the roost but they couldn’t detect the inner struggle Paul was actually going through. As he tried to rebuff his true sexuality, he went through a mad period of promiscuity in his teenage years which would lead to him fathering a daughter. Far from a mistake, it was a blessing but Paul wouldn’t have a close bond with his daughter until later life. Yet he stuck to his guns and paid child support, taking on a job as a peripatetic care officer in Camden. A job that showed him the joy that could still produce in absolute squalor.
Finding Yourself
O’Grady used to sneak to the docks to have sex with sailors and it wasn’t until he started bar work that he finally felt the confidence to admit to himself that he was actually gay. Working at places such as the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Paul started to perfect his act as Lily Savage despite the numerous drugs raids by the police. It was an act that would define him and shape his future television career. His act would become a beacon of strength for the LGBT community.
Paul made the act sexual and that differed from the previous drag acts. She was the person that didn’t give a damn and would get what she wanted as the air and the boudoir was turned blue on the way. So good was this comedy portrayal that it led to a spot at the Edinburgh Fringe and a Perrier Award in 1991.
On the Box
Paul’s charm and wit was quickly recognised, leading to a stint on The Big Breakfast when the interviewer post on the famous bed was vaccated by Paula Yates. So good was his brash style as Lily Savage that he subsequently got his own chat show, on Channel Four and later ITV, a game show, Blankety Blank, a revamp of Blind Date on Channel 5, the long-running series For the Love of Dogs on ITV and a radio show on Radio 2.
Paul O’Grady genuinely loved those close to him and was devastated when he lost his best friend Cilla Black after a sudden fall at her Spanish villa in 2015. A great animal lover, he cherished not only the sick and rescued pets on tv but also kept a number of farm animals, cats and dogs at his home in Kent. Despite suffering two major heart attacks, a health condition that ran in the family, he always managed to bounce back.A man who made your ribs ticke with laughter and this Liverpudlian character will be dearly missed.
