Red tape is preventing the comedian and broadcaster from having the ‘proper’ tribute his family, friends and fans crave

Paul O’Grady’s grave is still without a headstone 18 months after his death
@frankietheminidaxie/Instagram

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Paul O’Grady’s grave is still without a headstone a year and a half after he was buried.

The beloved comedian and broadcaster – who originally shot to fame as a drag performer and activist in the 1990s – died from a cardiac arrhythmia at his home in March 2023 aged 67.

He was laid to rest the following month in St Rumwold’s Churchyard in Bonnington, Kent.

While it is usually customary to wait around a year to allow the ground to settle, the process is taking longer with O’Grady’s family, friends and fans still waiting for a “proper” tribute.

Currently, the Lily Savage star’s final resting place is marked with wooden crosses and ornaments, but his friend Sue Lanbourn has called for something more substantial.

“It needs a proper headstone, even something simple like an engraving of Paul’s dog Buster,” she told The Sun.

Plans have reportedly been submitted, but O’Grady’s former agent Joan Marshrons admitted it is “unfortunately a lengthy process”.

She added: “Rest assured as soon as it comes through a fitting memorial headstone will be in place.”

The Diocese of Canterbury needs the ecclesiastical court to grant a permit for a memorial, due to the churchyard being consecrated land.

“A petition was sent to the Commissary Court for a faculty for a memorial to the late Paul O’Grady in June 2024,” a spokesperson confirmed.

One of Paul O’Grady’s best-loved roles was presenting TV show For The Love of Dogs
ITV

While the petition is “being assessed”, it’s said “the faculty process is a legal process, independent of the church locally”, while they said the decision making for O’Grady’s memorial fits the typical time frame of similar applications.

The Birkenhead-born star experienced a number of health scares, including heart attacks, kidney failure and Covid, but he always seemed to bounce back.

In a statement at the time of his death, his husband Andre Portasio said O’Grady died “unexpectedly but peacefully” at their home.

On the anniversary of his death this year, Portasio told The Mirror how he had found him in the kitchen of their Kent home.

He said: “Suddenly, you start remembering where we were, and what we were doing together. It reminded me just how lucky I was to have had him in my life.”

Portasio said that he was taking a trip to New Zealand “to be as far away from it as possible”.

“I don’t want to be anywhere near my kitchen where I found him, and be reminded of what happened,” he added to the publication.

“It will feel like he’s coming with me anyway, which is what he would have loved as he couldn’t do long-haul flights as he got older,” he said.

“But he would have loved New Zealand, and on the day in question, I will remember him quietly in my own way.”