A Paul O’Grady mural in Manchester commemorating the late comedian has been defaced only days after being created.
The artwork appeared in south Manchester last week following the news of the star’s passing on Tuesday (March 28). The comedian and television personality died “unexpectedly but peacefully” at the age of 67.
Paul O’Grady mural
The “amazing” black and white mural displayed a portrait of the For the Love of Dogs star next to one of his much-loved canine companions. The artwork was lovingly captioned “For Paul”.
It was created by artist Manchester Murals, who described it as a celebration of the ‘well-grounded entertainment machine that spanned generations’.
The mural received much appreciation from local residents and fans further afield who flocked to see it.
However, vistors to the mural were shocked yesterday (April 2) to arrive to a defaced artwork. In images obtained by Manchester Evening News, the beautiful portrait of Paul appears to have been sprayed with graffiti.
It would have been nice for it to last longer.
Artist Chris Moore, who himself spent several days working on the mural, said he was ‘disappointed’ at the discovery.
He said: “It would have been nice for it to last longer. I only finished it on Thursday so it’s not even been three days since it was created.”
However he acknowledged that this is just one of the realities that comes with art of this kind.
“Ultimately, and unfortunately, this is part of the nature of the street art and mural scene.” He said.
In an interview with Manchester Evening News, Chris did not rule out the possibility of repairing the artwork, but said he would prefer to find a new home for it.
“Ideally, it’d be nice for it to be rehoused now,” he said, before suggesting a location. “It would be great to do it at Battersea Dogs Home so it could live on permanently as a fitting home.”
Paul O’Grady death
Paul’s death was announced last week by his heartbroken husband, Andre Portasio.
He said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.
“We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss. He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.”
Read More: Daughter of Paul O’Grady breaks silence on her dad’s sudden death: ‘Just devastated’
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