Paul O'Grady was 'gobsmacked' that Cilla Black died before him in detailed funeral plan

Paul O'Grady suffered with his heart for years before his early death, aged 67, in March 2023. He even predicted that he would die before his close friend, Cilla Black, despite her being 12 years his senior. He even had some big plans for the Scouse legend to be involved in his funeral.

The Lily Savage star's good friend and long-time producer, Malcom Prince, has shared Paul's thoughts when he learnt that Cilla had died - just seven weeks after they last partied together. The Blind Date host suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage after falling backwards and hitting her head and died aged 72. In his new book, Not the Same without You, Malcom shared: "One of the last times I saw the two of them together was at a party for Paul’s sixtieth birthday in June 2015, held at the Blueprint Café in Butler’s Wharf, minutes from Paul’s London pied-à-terre. In a spacious room overlooking the River Thames and Tower Bridge, Paul’s friends and family gathered to wish him well alongside an impressive guest list from the world of entertainment.

The author added: "Cilla was there too, but at 72 she was a shadow of her former self. She looked frail and walked slowly around the room, escorted by her son Robert. I was upset to see her in this way, and I know Paul was too. He did have a dance with his friend that night, their last, and she died just 7 weeks later at her holiday home in Spain."

Speaking of Paul's shock, Malcolm continued: "On 20 August 2015, Paul attended the funeral of Cilla Black at St Mary’s RC Church in Liverpool.

"He gave a touching and humorous tribute in which he declared, ‘I firmly believed that Cilla was indestructible and that I would go first, the state of my heart. In fact, we discussed my funeral at length, me and Cilla, and she had a major role in it which involved a mantilla and lilies.’"

Paul suffered with his heart for years before it led to his death. He suffered his first heart attack in 2002, aged 47, and described it as a "life-changing experience".

In Not the Same without You, Malcolm tells the stories that Paul didn’t get to share himself. It’s a treasure trove of anecdotes and memories, all drawn from Malcolm’s extensive collection of private recordings and interviews with the people that knew Paul best.

It’s a surprising account of the man behind the icon – the man known to his friends as ‘Savage’ and to the public, in many much-loved guises.

This wonderful book tells never-before-heard stories of the much-missed national treasure, featuring the great and the good of the entertainment world, his unlikely friendship with the Queen, his departure from the BBC, and a ghost story of two thrown in for good measure.

Paul O'Grady - Not The Same Without You is available from bookstores from November 6.