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Paul O'Grady mural in Manchester painted over after defacement

@MCRMurals Paul O'Grady mural@MCRMurals
The artist said he felt compelled to paint the comedian as "he was a much-loved character"

A mural of entertainer Paul O'Grady which was defaced with graffiti shortly after it was created has been painted over, the artist behind it has said.

Chris Moore, who paints as Manchester Murals, created the work on the Fallowfield Loop in Manchester two days after the comedian's death on 28 March.

He said it was "a shame" it was now gone, but it being painted over was just "part of the street art scene".

He added that he hoped to create a permanent tribute to the star.

Birkenhead-born O'Grady, who died suddenly at the age of 67, rose to fame in the 1990s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage, going on to present BBC One game show Blankety Blank and other light entertainment programmes.

Later in his career, he went on to host a number of chat shows, and also brought his love of dogs to the screen.

@MCRMurals Paul O'Grady mural@MCRMurals
The mural was defaced over the weekend
Mural under Kingsway
The mural of O'Grady has been painted over by another artist, who included a message about the comedian in the new work

The artist said he had felt compelled to paint the "much-loved character" after hearing about his death.

"Paul O'Grady brought joy to people in so many ways; a great entertainer, an advocate for the working class, a champion for the LGBTQ community and an ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home," he said.

"He helped raise their profile, so it felt right to include a dog in his mural."

He said the mural "attracted a really positive reaction whilst I was working on it, both in person and online", but he had later been "inundated with messages" on social media from people "who had to gone to visit the work, only to find it had been painted over".

"There were lots of people who went to visit it who were really disappointed on the day and people who planned to visit it over the coming days to remember Paul," he said.

He said it was "a shame" the work had been painted over so soon after being created and he "would have loved for it to have been up for some time", but that "ultimately, this is part of the street art scene".

"I'm now thinking of how I can best showcase a permanent installation of the mural," he added.

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