Filed at 9:54 a.m. ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Cabaret and theater star Danny La Rue, who famously
impersonated the likes of Elizabeth
Taylor and Zsa Zsa Gabor during 60 years in showbusiness, has died aged
81.
"Danny La Rue died peacefully in his sleep just before midnight last night
(Sunday) after a short illness," his spokeswoman said in a statement. "His
beloved companion Annie Galbraith was with him at their home in Kent." According
to La Rue's website, playwright Noel Coward called La Rue "the most
professional, the most witty ... and the most utterly charming man in the
business."
Reflecting the cross-dressing roles for which he was famous, Bob
Hope said he was "the most glamorous woman in the world."
La Rue was born Daniel Patrick Carroll in Cork, Ireland in July, 1927. He was
nine years old when he was brought to England, and was evacuated from London
during World War Two.
La Rue left school aged 15 and worked in a fashion store in Exeter, southwest
England, and gradually worked his way up from the regional variety circuit to
the bright lights of London's biggest stages.
La Rue was one of Britain's highest-paid entertainers in the 1960s and
appeared regularly on television.
Toward the end of his life, he was more open about the fact that he was
homosexual, and he lived for many years with his partner and manager Jack Hanson
until his death in Australia following a stroke.
La Rue was appointed an OBE in 2002.