TV presenter and comedian Paul O’Grady, also known for his drag queen persona Lily Savage, has died at the age of 67, his partner Andre Portasio said.
“It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening,” Mr Portasio said in a statement.
“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.”
During his career, he hosted The Paul O’Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV’s multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.
He also hosted ITV celebrity game show, Paul O’Grady’s Saturday Night Line Up.
O’Grady hosted the reboot of the show Blind Date’s on Channel 5 reboot in 2017.
Last year he was joined by the Queen Consort in a special one-off episode of For The Love Of Dogs to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an organisation for which he was an ambassador.
In August last year he presented his final BBC Radio 2 show, which he had hosted for nearly 14 years.
