Paul O’Grady was a beloved member of the UK comedy scene, known for his drag alter ego Lily Savage. The iconic presenter hosted the likes of late night ITV show Paul O’Grady Live and BBC Radio 2’s Paul O’Grady on the Wireless. He was known for his love of animals, being a doting dog-owner himself, and presenting ITV’s For the Love of Dogs - a series set at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
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O’Grady sadly died almost one year ago, on 28 March 2023, at the age of 67. He passed away as the result of a cardiac arrhythmia, leaving behind his husband Andre Portasio and his daughter Sharon Mousley. O’Grady divided up his massive fortune between several recipients, some of whom may seem an unlikely choice.
O’Grady left £125K to his dogs
Of his £15.5M fortune, the presenter left a whopping £125,000 to his five dogs, Nancy, Arfur, Conchita, Eddie, and Sausage. His agent, Joan Marshons, was charged with looking after his beloved pets in the event of his passing. As he detailed in his will:
The legacy shall mean £25,000 in respect of each animal. I direct that Joan shall take over the responsibility of each animal… to use each legacy for the upkeep and maintenance of each animal until its death.
O’Grady’s love of animals went further than just his own pets: he also left £50,000 to elephant and orangutan charities.
Other names in O’Grady’s will
A close friend of the presenter told The Sun that these donations were ‘typical of Paul as he put his money where his mouth was by leaving cash to charities that had special meaning to him’. Having grown up in Liverpool and witnessed the good work the Salvation Army did in the town, he also donated £50,000 to them in his will.
However, the majority of his estate went to his loved ones - the humans in his life, that is. He left some to his widower, Andre Portasio, his daughter Sharon Mousley and his sister Sheila Rudd.
Speaking at a memorial for the iconic presenter in October 2023, Portasio recounted their last few moments together. He explained: ‘We’d had a very ordinary day, just watching TV together at home, when Paul said he wanted to make a ‘cup of tea,’ and that was our little code for rolling a spliff’:
So Paul went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, brought it back, lit it and started smoking it – and that was our last time together, the last thing we did. He passed away there in his chair.
The presenter will be remembered for his great work in the industry and generosity towards various causes.
Read more:
⋙ Steve Wright: Iconic BBC Radio DJ dies aged 69
⋙ Colin Bennett: BBC star passed away two weeks ago, son Tom confirms his death
⋙ Robin Windsor: The Strictly star has passed away aged 44
Sources used:
The Telegraph: Paul O’Grady gave part of £15.5m fortune to his dogs
Independent: Paul O’Grady died ‘smoking a joint’ reveals husband in heartbreaking tribute
