Paul O’Grady’s widower says the TV stalwart had a ‘spliff’ before his death

The late Paul O’Grady smoked a cannabis joint before he “passed away there in his chair” at home, the TV stalwart’s widower has said.

O’Grady, who rose to fame as Lily Savage before going on to host a string of TV programmes, died on March 28 at the age of 67.

The Sun reports his husband, Andre Portasio, told the story of O’Grady’s death at a memorial event on Wednesday night, which was attended by a host of celebrities including Alan Carr, Amanda Holden and Dawn French.

According to the paper, Portasio told the crowd: “We’d had a very ordinary day, just watching TV together at home, when Paul said he wanted to make a ‘cup of tea’, and that was our little code for rolling a spliff.

“So Paul went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, brought it back, lit it and started smoking it – and that was our last time together, the last thing we did. He passed away there in his chair.”

Earlier this week, it was announced that the veterinary hospital at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home will be named after O’Grady.

The TV and radio presenter became an ambassador for Battersea in 2012 after the success of ITV’s award-winning For The Love Of Dogs, 11 series of which were filmed at the home.