Digg
Del.icio.us
Newsvine 
Facebook
Stumbleupon
Danny La Rue, the cross-dressing entertainer has died at the age of 81.
In a statement his spokeswoman said "Danny died peacefully in his sleep just before midnight last night after a short illness."
"His beloved companion Annie Galbraith was with him at their home in Kent."
La Rue, who had been diagnosed with cancer, rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s as an impersonator of female stars such as Marlene Dietrich and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
According to The Stage newspaper La Rue, who received an OBE in 2002, was once the most highly-paid entertainer in Britain. He also became the first female impersonator to perform at the Royal Variety Perfoamnce before Queen Elizabeth II who said she was a fan of the performer.
La Rue was born in Cork but moved to London when he was nine years old. He first started performing in drag at a naval concert party during the Second World War when he was part of a task force sent to Singapore.
La Rue disliked being labelled a drag artist and referred to himself instead as a "comic in a frock".
© 2012 IBTimes Company. All Rights Reserved.
Partners 
EMAIL
PRINT
RSS
SHARE
