Paul O'Grady's funeral will take place today (Thursday) with a private service which will see dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home forming a guard of honour.
The service will also feature an appearance from the Salvation Army Band.
O’Grady rose to fame as his platinum wig-wearing drag queen alter ego Lily Savage before he went on to host a string of television programmes.
The much-loved star died “unexpectedly but peacefully” at his home on March 28 at the age of 67.
The funeral of the TV host will take place this afternoon, featuring a guard of honour with dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, in a special nod to O’Grady who became an ambassador for the animal charity in 2012.
He went on to rehome five dogs while filming his multiple award-winning ITV show Paul O’Grady: For The Love Of Dogs.
Following his death, Battersea set up a “tribute fund” which has raised more than £270,000 for the charity.
On Thursday, the procession is expected to carry O’Grady’s coffin through his home town of Aldington in Kent, with locals expected to gather along the streets to pay their respects and mourn the TV personality.
It comes after O’Grady’s husband Andre Portasio posted in local Facebook groups, inviting the local school and community to line the streets to mourn the comedian, expressing his “deep gratitude” for the “overwhelming outpouring of support and love” he has received in the wake of O’Grady’s death.
Whilst O'Grady was originally from Merseyside, in later life he adopted Kent as his home for more than 20 years.
His husband wrote: "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.”
The Salvation Army Band is expected to play during the private service on Thursday.
Following the death of O’Grady, names from across the drag world including Divina de Campo, The Vivienne, Cheryl Hole and Cheddar Gorgeous led tributes alongside those praising his advocacy for LGBT+ equality including former Labour politician and campaigner Peter Tatchell and fellow comedian and actor Eddie Izzard.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here .
READ NEXT:
Queen Consort Camilla ‘deeply saddened’ by death of Paul O’Grady as Royal Family pays tribute
Devastated staff at Paul O'Grady's favourite Edinburgh bar pay tribute to 'iconic legend'
Paul O'Grady tributes flood in as Lorraine Kelly brands him the 'kindest man'
Paul O'Grady's final social media post opened up about heartbreaking loss just days before his death
