Residents of Paul O’Grady’s village today paid tribute to the star and revealed how he and fellow local Julian Clary used to drive their fellow drinkers into hysterics in their pub.
O’Grady, who died last night aged 67, lived in a £2.5m house in the village of Aldington, near Ashford in Kent, which he bought from comedian Vic Reeves in 1999.
He was a regular at The Walnut Tree Inn, where he was often accompanied by his friend, comedian, and neighbor Clary, and the pair often made each other laugh.
Neighbors of O’Grady, who rose to fame playing her alter ego Lily Savage, also told MailOnline today that their town was “poorer without him”. And the pub owner said that O’Grady used to enjoy a pint of cider or Moet & Chandon champagne.
Also today, Clary tweeted a comedic image of the duo this morning and said: ‘Goodbye my fierce and funny friend. I will miss you. #RIPPaulO’Grady.’
Julian Clary tweeted a humorous image of the duo this morning, paying tribute to Paul O’Grady.
The star suffered two heart attacks, in 2002 and 2006, and was rushed to hospital in 2013 with chest pains, so he has cut back on his visits to the 15th-century pub in recent years.
Walnut Treet Inn pub owner Karen Barrett said O’Grady appeared during her two decades living in the village of Aldington.
However, she still shopped every other day at the village shop, ordering freshly made Cornish pies, rather than visiting the local Waitrose supermarket like other local celebrities.
Linda Harman, a local councillor, said residents were devastated by the loss.
She said: ‘Like everyone, we woke up to the extremely sad and shocking news that Paul had passed away.
‘He was a stalwart member and supporter of this community that always takes his time, and sometimes his money, to support events in town.
“Last summer he was a judge at the local dog show, which he loved. When Julian Clary lived in the village, he and Paul would often be seen enjoying a few drinks together in the pub. They were great and a lot of fun as expected, the other punters loved it.
“Paul had a couple of health issues though, so he took it a lot easier after that and cut back on his visits, especially after Julian moved away.
“Paul was just as people have described him today, a fabulous, kind, normal person who never really lived up to his celebrity status.
“We loved having him here and will miss him dearly.”
When Julian Clary lived in the village, he and Paul O’Grady (pictured in London in 2018) were often seen enjoying a few drinks together in the pub, according to a local councillor.
Ms Harman recalled how, during the Covid pandemic, she had read reports in the news that the star had been attacked by the virus.
Linda Harman, a local councilor in Aldington, said O’Grady was a “stave member and supporter of this community”.
She added: ‘We had a Covid support group at the time and we would phone and basically check in with those who had it to make sure they were okay and ask if they needed help.
“I didn’t know who to contact Paul as he was such a huge star, so I knew that when he was working in public relations, he had his agent’s email. So I emailed the agent and told him we had this support group and if Paul needed anything we were there for him.
‘The agent answered and thanked me for getting in touch, but the next thing my mobile rang and it was Paul on the other end of the line, thanking me for my concern and kind offer of support… but added that he was fine! and the newspapers had been wrong!
“He was so down to earth and warm and friendly, it was like talking to my neighbor.”
Wiping away tears, local pub owner Karen Barrett said O’Grady turned up during her two decades living in the village.
She said: ‘The last time I saw him was last year and he was donating a children’s book he had written for a raffle.
“He was an incredible man, very down to earth, natural, warm and funny. If you never met him, you missed him.
He came quite a bit when he first moved here. She came in with Julian Clary and they were absolutely brilliant. Of the two, she would say Julian was the calmer.
Paul Grady was a regular at The Walnut Tree pub in the village of Aldington, Kent.
“Paul’s favorite drink was a pint of cider or his favorite champagne, which was Moet & Chandon. He also loved oysters.
“He had had a couple of heart attacks in the space of four years about 15 years ago, so he wasn’t as regular a visitor more recently.
“But he had his 50th birthday here in the pub with about ten friends and when his friend and manager, Brendan Murphy, died, he held the wake here.
‘I’m devastated that he’s gone because we had such a good time.
‘One of the regulars, Brenda, who is sadly no longer with us, asked me to invite Paul to her 60th birthday. She was originally from Liverpool and had also had heart problems.
“Paul came in during the afternoon and apologized and said he couldn’t stay long but he talked to Brenda and her friends, bought her some flowers, a card and one of those Nodding Busters he used to have on his TV show.
“I remember one of my employees asked him if he could wish his mom a happy birthday because she was a huge fan and he walked in and chatted to her and everyone else like he’s known them all for years.
At the Aldington Post Office, Muttukumarasamy Skandakumar, 66, and his wife Devika saw O’Grady most days.
‘The staff member thanked him and he said ‘no problem, I’d do anything for Karen’.
And I would. My son had cancer a few years ago, and unknown to me, a friend of mine wrote to him and told him what we were going through as a family.
“He arrived a few days later and left us tickets to see him on stage at the London Palladian to give us a break from everything.
“Most recently, when Covid happened and the pub had to close, he asked me if I needed financial help and I was so touched that I started crying. But he hated all of that and was like ‘oh, stop’.
‘He has donated quietly to the local school, to the local Kaleidoscope Trust, he has touched so many lives.
“I didn’t see him much in recent years for one reason or another, but when I did, we would hug and talk for a long time. He had a way of making you feel like family, even if you barely knew him.
“I sent him a Christmas card and wrote him a little message because I hadn’t seen him for a while, saying that I had gotten engaged to a lovely man and that I was getting married this summer and my life was on.” the above
‘He responded and said he was excited for me and suggested that we should meet again soon. That won’t happen now, of course, but I will treasure all those wonderful memories.
At the Aldington Post Office, Muttukumarasamy Skandakumar, 66, and his wife Devika saw him on most days.
Paul O’Grady often visited the Aldington Post Office in the village and had a Cornish pasty.
Devika smiled and said, “He was a lovely man, we always expected him to come as he was so friendly and talkative.”
He loved our Cornish pies and steak slices and always bought them for lunch.
The last time we saw him was last week, just before he left for Scotland. He said that he was performing in Edinburgh and wanted to take the train, but instead he was flying because he was faster.
“It was the first time in a long time that he was there, since he told us that he had been away, I think in Thailand.
“But whenever he would walk into the store and people would be dazzled and ask for a photo, he would always oblige. He was very good with his fans.
‘He also had a caring side. I recently fell down the stairs and he found out and asked me how he was doing and if he was okay.
Muttukumarasamy added: ‘He was a very popular man in the village. He did a lot for local charities, so he’s a huge loss. I’m only a year younger than him. Sixty-seven is not an age to die, my heart goes out to his family.