Paul O'Grady revealed before his death that he wanted to pass away quickly to avoid his loved ones suffering the pain of seeing him ill.
The comedian and TV presenter, who rose to fame on the nightclub circuit as the acerbic and platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage before becoming a household name, died last night aged 67.
His cause of death was not immediately known, but O'Grady - who was 'gasping for breath' in his interview last week - is known to have suffered multiple health scares, including three attacks - in 2002, 2006 and 2014 - and kidney failure.
He previously said that he was not afraid of dying, but feared not knowing how quickly it might come.
Paul O'Grady in the musical Annie where he played Miss Hannigan to great acclaim. He is pictured in the show at Newcastle Theatre Royal on March 7, before it moved to Edinburgh
O'Grady rose to fame on the nightclub circuit as the acerbic and platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage
This is believed to be the last picture taken of Paul O'Grady, kingslot96, at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Saturday, March 25. He is pictured with a dog called Frankie who appears in theatre shows
Paul O'Grady hosted classic TV quiz show Blankety Blank as his alter-ego Lily Savage
Paul O'Grady, pictured last week, was playing Miss Hannigan in a theatre production of Annie. He is pictured with Mela the dog, one of the Edinburgh Playhouse dogs, on Thursday, March 23
The Sun reports that O'Grady once said in an interview: 'It's not the actual dying, the final croak, that bothers me, it's the speed of it.
'Will it come quickly? And will I know anything about it?
'Speaking from experience I'd favour a nice quick fatal heart attack over a long lingering death any day.
'I don't want to rot, slowly, before my loved ones' eyes. I'd rather make a quick exit.'
Following his death, legendary pantomime dame Christopher Biggins revealed today that he had caught O'Grady smoking despite the star having been ordered to stop for his health.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the star, 74, said he and his close friend Cilla Black tried to convince Paul to quit the habit years ago, but he laughed it off.
The comedian and TV presenter, who rose to fame on the nightclub circuit as the acerbic and platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage before becoming a household name, died last night aged 67.His cause of death was not immediately known, but O'Grady - who was 'gasping for breath' in his interview last week - is known to have suffered multiple health scares, including three attacks - in 2002, 2006 and 2014 - and kidney failure.
He previously said that he was not afraid of dying, but feared not knowing how quickly it might come.
Paul O'Grady in the musical Annie where he played Miss Hannigan to great acclaim. He is pictured in the show at Newcastle Theatre Royal on March 7, before it moved to Edinburgh
O'Grady rose to fame on the nightclub circuit as the acerbic and platinum wig-wearing Lily Savage
This is believed to be the last picture taken of Paul O'Grady, kingslot96, at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Saturday, March 25. He is pictured with a dog called Frankie who appears in theatre shows
Paul O'Grady hosted classic TV quiz show Blankety Blank as his alter-ego Lily Savage
Paul O'Grady, pictured last week, was playing Miss Hannigan in a theatre production of Annie. He is pictured with Mela the dog, one of the Edinburgh Playhouse dogs, on Thursday, March 23
The Sun reports that O'Grady once said in an interview: 'It's not the actual dying, the final croak, that bothers me, it's the speed of it.
'Will it come quickly? And will I know anything about it?
'Speaking from experience I'd favour a nice quick fatal heart attack over a long lingering death any day.
'I don't want to rot, slowly, before my loved ones' eyes. I'd rather make a quick exit.'
Following his death, legendary pantomime dame Christopher Biggins revealed today that he had caught O'Grady smoking despite the star having been ordered to stop for his health.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the star, 74, said he and his close friend Cilla Black tried to convince Paul to quit the habit years ago, but he laughed it off.