Vanessa Feltz has said she was “consumed with grief” when she revealed that Paul O’Grady promised her “nights of debauchery and debauchery” before his shock death at age 67.
Praise has poured in for the legendary presenter after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” last week.
The TV personality, 61, spoke of Paul’s ability to ‘make everyone feel valued’ and heartbreakingly added that no one was ‘ready to lose him’.
Write in her column for The expressVanessa began, “When I woke up to the news of his death, I was consumed with shock and grief.
My phone is still full of his messages promising nights of “debauchery and debauchery.” Of course I was really looking forward to both.’
Sincere: Vanessa Feltz, 61, has said she was “consumed with grief” when she revealed that Paul O’Grady promised her “nights of debauchery and debauchery” before his shock death
Tragic: Praise has poured in for the legendary presenter after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he passed away ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ last week
The presenter added that Paul “didn’t do any lame sentiments or compliments” but managed to “feel” everyone appreciated’ with his ‘sincere interest’.
She compared him to a “star that illuminates everyone’s life” and makes people “stand taller” in his presence.
“He was unparalleled in giving people appropriate nicknames. He flatteringly called me the Delphic Sibyl, after the ancient Greek oracle. He thought I was well informed and from a polymath like Paul that was a much appreciated compliment,” Vanessa revealed.
Dog lover Paul was a campaigner for social justice, animal rights and LGBTQ+ equality with an astringent tongue, rapier wit, enormous intellect and a heart of glittering gold. I will miss him every day,” she concluded.
Paul, who rose to fame as pioneering comedy drag act Lily Savage before becoming one of the country’s most beloved TV hosts and DJs, passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” on March 28, his partner said.
Andre Portasio, who married O’Grady in 2017, paid tribute to his “wit, humor and compassion” in a statement announcing his death, which was released just before 3am.
The cause of the child’s father’s death was not immediately known, but he had previously spoken of surviving heart attacks in 2002, 2006 and 2014, as well as kidney failure. He also had a grueling Covid battle that kept him out of work for two months.
O’Grady married Portuguese lesbian barmaid Teresa Fernandes in 1977 to stop her deportation. They divorced in 2005 and he married ex-ballerina Mr Portasio in 2017.
Angry: The TV personality spoke of Paul’s ability to ‘make everyone feel valued’ and heartbreakingly added that no one was ‘ready to lose him’
Decades earlier, in 1974, he had his only child, a daughter named Sharyn Mousley, with his good friend Diane Jansen. O’Grady is also a grandfather to Sharyn’s son Abel, who was born in 2006 and is now 16, and Sharyn’s daughter Halo, born in 2009.
Portasio said, “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul passed away unexpectedly but peacefully last night.
“We ask, at this difficult time, that as you celebrate his life, you also respect our privacy as we process this loss.
He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all who enjoyed his wit, wit and compassion.
“I know he would like me to thank you for all the love you’ve shown him over the years.”
It comes after MailOnline exclusively revealed that years before his death, Paul had planned his own funeral in extraordinary detail, saying he “would like to be remembered as someone who tried to help animals” – not as a comedian or broadcaster.
The star said in 2017 that his friend Jools Holland had already agreed to play piano during the service and hoped to persuade Sir Tom Jones and Mica Paris to sing.
In poignant and exclusive audio released Monday, O’Grady said in his signature caustic style, “They’re all going to cry at my funeral. I want to make sure. None of that gleeful nonsense,” jokingly adding that he expected mourners to wear “jet black.”
Paul spoke to journalist Rob McGibbon for his Daily Mail column in November 2017 The definite article.
The popular Q&A appeared weekly in Weekend magazine and always centered on a celebrity question, “The order of business at your funeral…” and the final question was always “How do you want to be remembered.”
Gripping: It comes after MailOnline exclusively revealed that Paul had planned his own funeral, saying he ‘would like to be remembered as someone who tried to help animals’ (pictured in 2019)
Poignantly, he said he would only like to be celebrated for being kind to animals, not for anything he accomplished in comedy or show business, adding, “It would just be nice to be remembered.”
He said his life philosophy was, “Keep on with it – whatever life throws at you.” Deal with it and get to work. There’s no time to mess around.”
Mr O’Grady revealed he wanted it to be held in a small, ‘old’ church on the Romney Marshes in Kent – like St Thomas Becket Church in Fairfield – the famous setting for the opening scene in Charles Dickens’ Great expectations.
But he joked that he would be buried in a glass coffin in the middle of a forest, guarded by Snow White’s seven dwarfs.