Boy George is celebrating his 65th birthday today. The Culture Club singer was born in 1961. From his time with Culture Club to becoming a leading DJ, recording as a solo artist and under multiple pseudonyms, working as a singing coach on The Voice, and writing several books, Boy George’s career has had many facets.
The singer came to prominence through the London club scene and the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s, where he became a recognisable figure, particularly at the Tuesday night club event, Blitz. After a short stint with Bow Wow Wow, Boy George joined forces with Mikey Craig, Jon Moss and Roy Hay to form Culture Club.
The band topped the charts in the 1980s with hits including Karma Chameleon, Miss Me Blind, Church of the Poison Mind, Move Away and The War Song. After the band split up, Boy George launched a successful solo career, worked as an in-demand DJ, and released music under a wide variety of aliases.
Boy George has published three autobiographies, and there has been ongoing discussion about his life story being adapted into a feature film. His life has previously been portrayed on screen in the television film Mad About the Boy.
His career has also included more difficult periods. In his autobiographies, Boy George has spoken openly about struggles with substance abuse. In 2006, he pleaded guilty in New York to falsely reporting a burglary. In 2009, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison following a conviction for false imprisonment involving Norwegian model Audun Carlsen.
In recent years, Culture Club has reformed and continued to release new music. Boy George has also continued his solo work and DJ career, appeared as a coach on both the UK and Australian versions of The Voice, and performed in Broadway musicals.
British entertainer Paul O’Grady was born on this day in 1955
Paul O’Grady first came to prominence as drag performer Lily Savage before establishing a career as a television presenter, author and actor.
O’Grady, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 67, was born on this day in 1955. He grew up in Cheshire in an Irish immigrant family and moved to London in the late 1970s. He created his drag persona Lily Savage and became a fixture at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in south London.
His act was hugely popular and, alongside his performances, he spoke out against injustices experienced by the LGBTIQA+ community, including the introduction of the Thatcher government’s Section 28 laws and the treatment of people living with HIV. By the late 1980s, Lily Savage was appearing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and touring internationally.
Many people first encountered O’Grady when he appeared on the popular British police drama The Bill. He played a transgender character called Roxanne, who made a series of appearances on the show. Soon, Lily Savage was appearing as a guest on many British television programmes and, with increasing popularity, was given her own late night comedy show.
When Paula Yates left her role on The Big Breakfast, the upbeat morning television show, Lily Savage was her unexpected replacement. Savage went on to host the game show Blankety Blanks, appear in pantomimes, and join the musical Annie in the West End, playing Miss Hannigan.
Tired of appearing in his drag persona, O’Grady successfully transitioned to being a television host out of drag. He hosted a series of travel programmes and his own daytime talk show. By 2005, he was one of Britain’s highest paid television stars. His later work included the much loved series For the Love of Dogs, and he took over as host of Blind Date after his friend Cilla Black passed away.
O’Grady was in a long term relationship with his manager Brendan Murphy from the mid 1980s until Murphy’s death in 2005. In 2017, he married dancer Andre Portasio. O’Grady died suddenly in March 2023 from a heart attack. He had previously survived heart attacks in 2002, 2006 and 2017.
