Paul O’Grady funeral: TV star laid to rest at private funeral at St Rumwold’s Church in Kent

Comedian and TV stalwart Paul O’Grady has been laid to rest following a private service in the Kent village he called home.

The service was held at St Rumwold’s Church in the village of Bonnington, close to Aldington, on Thursday (20 April) afternoon. It was conducted by Reverend Canon Roger Martin with a eulogy from actor Julian Clary and a reading from Lord Michael Cashman.

Mourners then headed to a wake at Port Lympne Safari Park in Kent. The service featured a series of personal tributes to O’Grady, including a bronze statue of his beloved late dog Buster that had been placed on top of a leopard-print throw.

Meanwhile, a photograph of a smiling O’Grady was centred at the front of the Grade I listed parish church surrounded by arrangements of lilies in a nod to his drag alter ego, Lily Savage. Rev Martin welcomed family and friends including comedian Clary, actress Dame Sheila Hancock, and the late Dame Barbara Windsor’s widower Scott Mitchell.

The Salvation Army Band played songs such as Tomorrow from the musical Annie – in which O’Grady was starring in a touring production at the time of his death. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and comedian Alan Carr were also among the celebrity attendees.

Ahead of the service, O’Grady’s husband Andre Portasio was emotional as he rode in the carriage drawn by two black horses and decorated with a wreath of their dog Buster, with one of their other dogs, Conchita, on his lap.