A new mural in tribute to Paul O’Grady has appeared on Canal Street after a previous one in Manchester was defaced.
Street artist Manchester Murals, aka Chris Moore, created a mural of the TV star and entertainer on the Fallowfield Loop last month when news of his passing at the age of 67 hit.
The mural, which was described as being a touching tribute by fans, was defaced just days after being created and was later painted over with a new design by other street artists with a heartfelt ‘RIP Paul O’Grady’ slogan.
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Now, paying homage to O’Grady’s alter-ego Lily Savage, a new mural has appeared outside The Church, formerly Churchill’s bar, in Manchester’s Gay Village.
Bright pink and taking up more than half of the wall, the mural features Lily’s face and was created over a number of days. Completed on Thursday afternoon (April 13), the mural is now standing proudly outside the venue.
“It’s lovely to do a portrait of Lily and be able to use such vibrant colours,” Chris explained. “I’m used to using more grayscale and black and white so it’s a bit different for me.
“With what happened to the untimely demise of the other piece, I wanted to find another way to honour Paul O’Grady and I couldn’t think of a better place to do it than in Canal Street.
“I spoke with the managers at The Church and they were more than happy to go for it. Hopefully it’ll be there for years to come. I think it’s a really fitting situé for Lily to be in.”
Chris says he wanted to create another mural to the LGBTQ+ star after an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ reaction to the original.
“The reaction to it all has been great,” he added. “I’ve had a great positive reaction and some lovely messages from people saying how much they appreciated it.
“I wanted to find a more permanent solution and hopefully we’ve found it here in Canal Street.”
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