Paul O'Grady funeral details confirmed as locals invited to pay respects
18 April 2023, 08:22
Paul O'Grady funeral: When is it and what are the details? Everything you need to know...
Details for Paul O’Grady’s funeral have been shared by his husband, with the service due to take place later this week.
The comedian and TV presenter sadly passed away earlier this month at the age of 67 from cardiac arrhythmia.
Paul’s private funeral will be held at Aldington Church on Thursday 20th April, with locals invited to pay their respects through his home village in Kent.
Widowed Andre released a new picture of his husband on Facebook: "I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the overwhelming outpouring of support and love I have received since the passing of our beloved Paul O'Grady.
"Your kind messages, beautiful flowers, and thoughtful texts of condolences have brought me comfort and solace during this difficult time.
"I'm incredibly grateful for the support and love I have received from our community, and we want to thank each and every one of you for your kindness and generosity.
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"As a mark of respect and as Paul would have wanted, we will be holding a private funeral on Thursday, 20th April 2023.
"This information has not been made public, but I wanted to share it with local residents.
"While the funeral will be a private ceremony, as many of you know, Paul cared a lot about his local community.
"We have therefore requested that the funeral procession passes through Aldington before heading to the church, as a way of marking Paul's affection for the area.
"We would therefore like to invite all locals to join us in paying our respects to Paul in Aldington Village between 14:10 - 14:45 on Thursday.
"In order to avoid road congestion and public disorder, we kindly ask all residents to treat this invitation personally and if attending to stand on either Roman Road, Forge Hill, or New Road Hill so to respect the villagers and the local area.
"Please note for public safety Church Road as well as Knoll Hill will be closed on the day of the procession. We kindly ask everyone to respect the family's wishes and maintain social distancing throughout the event.
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"Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult time."
Paul's friend Amanda Mealing said that Paul wouldn’t have wanted his funeral to be a sad affair, as she said: "He just told us to have a good time - he'd hate it everyone was mawkish and morose. He would say: 'I don't care. I won't be here! Do what you want."
The national treasure - who will be back on TV on his final series of For the Love of Dogs - died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ on 28th March after his battles with heart disease.
Paul has previously been open about suffering from three heart attacks before the age of 65.
