Danny Boy The Legend. By Jerry Lane

“Hello Danny” star, Danny La Rue takes his final curtain call and says goodbye to his adoring fans.

I had known Danny La Rue O.B.E for nearly twenty years, both on and off the stage. He was in the true sense of the word a world class STAR, a consummate professional, who was always proud of the fact he had never missed a performance.

During the past five years I had become even closer to Danny, discussing many topical events and many stories and tales of other well known show business personalities both alive and dead, none of which I will discuss here out of respect for Danny and our friendship. Danny La Rue had a very public persona, he was indeed an entertainer of the public and he loved and needed his adoring fans as much has they needed him. Danny was also a devout Irish Catholic deeply religious man and for his entire life he was torn between his Catholicism and his own homosexuality. This was perpetuated by his protected public image as an ordinary bloke that you could see in any local pub having a pint, to the anything but ordinary stage persona that the public came to adore a persona that bought an equal share of both male and female, gay and straight followers of all ages. He was criticised for many years by gay fundamentalists for not “coming out” but Danny was born to a very different generation and his staunch nineteen forties morals stayed with him his entire life. Danny finally spoke openly ten years ago about his homosexuality and his gay relationship with Jack Hanson, his manager and partner of more than thirty five years. Jack passed away in Danny’s arms while on tour in Australia, causing Danny to seek solace in the bottom of a bottle. The death of Jack was something Danny never really recovered from always describing Jack as “The love of his life”. After Danny’s “coming out” he found to his utter surprise and amazement that people did not abandon him, nor did they hardly blink at his revelations, such was the world of today. In fact he achieved a higher status within the entertainment industry and gay communities alike. I know it was never an easy road for Danny to follow and he was torn till the day he died. His faith was always strong, committed and commendable and in someway I wish I had the kind of strength of faith that Danny felt, a strength that saw him survive a somewhat financial rollercoaster international career.

Danny La Rue’s motto was always buy the best you can afford, your audiences deserve it and like myself Danny boy could certainly spend, and in his heyday his costumes, wigs and accessories where valued at millions of pounds. In 2007 having performed in many glittering shows over a fifty five year illustrious career Danny agreed to perform in a show I created in 2005 with his approval called “Hello Danny” an affectionate homage to his life’s work. This was the show that bought him back into the public eye one last time after a mild stoke that saw him slip into retirement. As fate would have it “ Hello Danny” a re-written version for 2007 became his farewell performance, and what a performance. Danny was very excited about performing in Spain and particularly at the Benidrom Palace, of which he had heard great things. The Benidorm Palace on that night in particular lived up to its reputation, as both myself and Danny played to a full to capacity house and with every seat sold it saw people paying to stand for three hours just to watch the spectacle. For Danny it was the first time he had been onstage in a full production show for approximately two years, since his illness and also the first time he had worked with another female impersonator on a professional stage, let alone one who was impersonating the legend himself. I was under immense pressure to deliver the performance of my life, but deliver I did, helped along the way by theatrical notes from Danny and a very special package he presented to me just before the show. The package contained all his personal make-up and eye lashes and a collection of his shoes. Luckily for me we had the same size feet, he told me “now you can legitimately tell people you stepped into my shoes, and carry on the tradition” he held my hand as tears swelled in his eyes, it was a very emotional time for us, the whole event was an emotional time. We both knew at that moment he would never dress up again and he was finished as a female impersonator. The crowd knew they had witnessed history in the making and at the end of the show we received a five minute standing ovation.

I spoke to Danny several weeks before he died, he was happy and jolly and if he knew the end was near he certainly never let it show. We had been talking along with his press agent Pat about a two hander with just Danny and myself, his idea I hasten to add. An idea where he would sit on stage in his dressing room set and reminisce about all the famous women he had impersonated and known and I would have played all those celebrity women, but alas it was never meant to be.

The entertainment world has lost a giant and I have lost an inspirational figure and a friend, there will never be another Danny La Rue, but his legacy will live on in the many people live’s he touched and I include myself in those privileged few.