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5th April 2023
10:24am BST
Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition to erect a statue of Paul O'Grady in his hometown of Birkenhead.
The world of entertainment was left in shock last week after the much-loved comedian and TV presenter passed away "unexpectedly but peacefully" at the age of 67.
An icon of British entertainment, comedy and drag, O'Grady first rose to fame for his drag queen persona Lily Savage and hosted a number of game shows including Blankety Blank.
He also hosted his own talk show – The Paul O’Grady Show – on Channel 4 and was fondly known for his love of animals, in particular dogs.
Whilst his legacy in British entertainment will live on, a Change.org petition has now been launched for a statue to be built in his hometown of Birkenhead so that his legacy will be 'immortalised' in his hometown.
The campaign was started by Kieran Gabriel who wrote: "It only feels right to honour the life of such a great human being by immortalising him in statue form, in his hometown of Birkenhead.
"Paul has left a huge legacy with his trailblazing work as a drag artist, social and political causes, LGBT rights and of course, his love of animals.
"This is a petition to the Wirral Council, who must surely take stock of the huge outpouring of love in the wake of Paul's passing. Liverpool has Cilla, Birkenhead deserves Paul."
At the time of writing, the petition has been signed by just over 92,800 people.
Some have suggested that the statue should include dogs, due to O'Grady's love of the animals.
One of his best known shows was 'For The Love Of Dogs', a documentary series hosted by the presenter, which saw him meet members of staff and animals at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
Following the show, O'Grady was made an ambassador of the rescue centre, and since his death Battersea has been flooded with donations.
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