Paul O’Grady’s husband Andre Portasio has announced details of the late TV star’s funeral, following his death at the age of 67.
The legendary entertainer will be honoured at a private ceremony held on Thursday 20 April in the village of Aldington in Kent, where he lived.
While the ceremony itself will be for just family and friends, Andre has invited local residents to line certain streets in the village as the funeral procession passes through on its way to the church.
Posting on local Facebook pages (via Sky News), Andre said his late husband “cared a lot about his local community” and the procession would mark his “affection for the area”.
Locals will be able to line Roman Road, Forge Hill or New Road Hill in the village between 2.10pm and 2.45pm on Thursday, but Andre asked attendees to “respect the villagers and the local area”.
Reports have claimed that animal lover Paul is also set to be honoured at a celebration of life ceremony at a safari park near his home, which he often visited.
According to the Mail On Sunday, this will be held at Port Lympne Safari Park in Hythe, Kent, where its 600 acres are home to more than 900 rare and endangered animals, including monkeys, lions and tigers.
Paul died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on 28 March.
Over the weekend, Paul’s death certificate, which was obtained by the Express, revealed his cause of death was sudden cardiac arrhythmia.
The British Heart Foundation describes sudden cardiac arrhythmia as “when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest, but the cause of the cardiac arrest can’t be found”.
Paul previously suffered two heart attacks in 2002 and 2006, and suffered a third heart scare in 2014.
Following Paul’s death, Battersea Dogs Home has been “overwhelmed” with donations in his memory and has said it is now looking at a “suitably fitting way to remember the profound impact” his work on ITV’s For The Love Of Dogs had on the shelter.
A petition to honour Paul with a statue in his home town of Birkenhead has also surpassed 100,000 signatures.