Danny La Rue’s Funeral - a Mothership Gay Dating Member Reports
Danny La Rue's funeral was a celebration of a gay life well lived
This week I went to Danny La Rue’s funeral and celebration of his life. Danny La Rue was one of the twentieth century’s foremost gay entertainers and performers. Dan being a life-long devoted Catholic, the beautiful funeral service was held at the Church of the Transfiguration in Kensal Rise, and the order of service bore his real name, Daniel Patrick Carroll OBE.
Danny La Rue never saw himself as a drag act, but as an entertainer. He made a man wearing a frock respectable to the British public at a time when homosexual acts were very much taboo. His London club nights with appearances in dazzling and flamboyant costumes, and his engagingly saucy patter, brought stars like Noel Coward, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis, Jnr and royalty like Princess Margaret flocking to his lavish shows. After Danny La Rue’s funeral service I spoke to Dougie Darnell who created a stream of exotic feathered costumes for Danny’s act, as he did for iconic divas Dorothy Squires and Shirley Bassey.
“My Old Man” sung by Danny La Rue
(If video not working please let us know by commenting below)
At the funeral, comedian Ronnie Corbett paid tribute to Danny’s life, his sheer professionalism and joy in what he did, and the downside of being cheated out of a vast fortune by unscrupulous business associates. Roy Hudd read the Actor’s Prayer and told how Danny had put him into one of his West End shows, with his name in lights outside, at a time when his career was at its lowest ebb. That show, Danny at the Palace, became the hottest ticket in town and Hudd never looked back. Barbara Windsor got a laugh, saying, “Another little one” as she stepped up to the mike immediately after Ronnie Corbett, to read a poem written by Danny’s late much-loved partner, Jack Hanson.
After the funeral service we went for drinks and food to the King Willian IV’s sun-drenched garden at Kensal Green. What struck me most were all the stories relating Danny’s private acts of kindness, his tireless work for charity, and almost legendary acts of benevolence. If one wanted an example of a gay life well lived, one couldn’t do better than consider Danny La Rue’s example.
John Hartley - Mothership Gay Dating member 'outerlimits'
By John Hartley
(Mothership Gay Dating member ‘outerlimits’)
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Related posts:
Gay football supporter
Susan Boyle enjoys gay support
Mothership Gay Dating finds Twitter’s unexpected bonus
Can gay guys stay faithful?
Where to meet on your gay first date
