29 March 2024 , 19:50
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Paul O'Grady's life was never the same.
The beloved star, who passed away on March 28, 2023, at the age of 67, tragically lost both his parents while still a young man - under devastating circumstances. And in a week that left him devastated, he also learned he was going to be a father.
Born to parents Patrick and Mary, the iconic comedian and broadcaster was raised in a working-class Irish community in Merseyside. Paul's loving parents had a lasting impact on him, with Mary's maiden name Savage inspiring his sharp-tongued drag alter ego, Lily Savage.
In his 2009 autobiography At My Mother's Knee … And Other Low Joints, Paul, who was '13 or 14 years younger' than his elder brother and sister deadpanned: "I was born late – what my mother calls the last kick of a dying horse."
Paul went on to recall a happy and somewhat sheltered childhood, writing: "When I look back on my childhood I have no bad memories. Our family was loving and full of affection. I never knew what divorce was until I moved to London. I was an indulged child and completely protected from anything bad."
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Sadly, these days of innocence weren't to last, and one terrible week, when Paul was still just 17 years old, changed the course of his life forever.
Merseyside-born Paul enjoyed a happy childhood - but everything changed in his 17th year (Mercury Press Agency Ltd.)Opening up during a 2003 episode of Desert Island Discs, Paul shared how his father Patrick died of a heart attack mere hours after his mother Mary suffered a heart attack.
Paul remembered: "My mum had a serious heart attack when I was 17. She was taken into hospital and the doctors said to my father 'she's not going to last the night' and my dad was dead in the morning.
"He just collapsed on the spot. The doctor said 'If I could put on the death certificate that he died of a broken heart then I would'. My mum survived for another 13 or 14 years. Dreadful."
He continued: "I'll never forget it. I was stood next to him and he went down like a ton of bricks. He literally couldn't cope without my mother."
Patrick was left unable to carry on without his beloved wife Mary (Mercury Press Agency Ltd.)
Proud son Paul used his mother's maiden name for his iconic drag alter egoMere days after his heartbreaking loss, Paul was in for another life-changing shock, after his close friend Diane Jensen informed him she was pregnant with his baby.
Paul, who was still unsure about his sexuality at this point, remembered: "[Diane said] 'Paul? How are you?' 'Well, me dad's dead and me mother's at death's door. Things couldn’t get worse. really'. I could hear her sobbing at the other end of the line.
"'Oh, God, they could and they have,' she said, catching her breath. 'What do you mean?' 'I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father'."
In 1974, Paul welcomed his only daughter Sharon, who recently spoke fondly of her unusual upbringing in TV special The Life and Death of Lily Savage, released to mark the first anniversary of Paul's death.
Mother-of-two Sharon recalled: "As I got older I wanted to see Lily. It was a lot to take in because he was my dad at the end of the day and he's got like six-inch heels with a massive blonde wig.
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"My dad used to just leave bin bags around, he was working nights and then sleeping days. And also I remember going to the shop and getting tights for him. The guy would say 'You coming in for your dad's tights?' I'd be like 'Yeah, you got a tan and black?'
"That was just normal. He used to leave me in a flat and go and work. I used to just love looking at his makeup. I remember walking around the flat with his thigh-high boots on, thinking I was all grown up, I was about 13!"
You can catch The Life and Death of Lily Savage and Paul O’Grady’s Great Elephant Adventure on Friday, March 29, at 9pm ITV 1