Stars pay tribute to

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Celebrity friends have paid tribute to late female impersonator Danny La Rue, who passed away yesterday.

The 81-year-old drag artist, who was originally a sailor from Cork, died aged 81 after a battle with cancer.

EastEnders star Barbara Windsor, who appeared on stage with La Rue when she was 18, claimed that he was protective over her during her early years in showbiz. She also revealed that he was still as flirtatious and cheeky as ever when she met him three weeks ago.

"He was such a handsome-looking man. He looked so gorgeous. He was quiet, which is very un-Danny. He got himself all nice for me," she told the BBC.

During their last meeting, La Rue apparently asked Windsor if she "fancied a bit, then?"

Jim Davidson described the showbiz veteran as a "great man" with "great dignity, great charm", while Bruce Forsyth proclaimed him "a great comic with great timing".

"He was a man of real class and real style," said his former agent Brian Shaw. "It's just a very sad day. He was an absolutely sensational guy. He did over 1,000 live theatre shows in the UK for me."

Meanwhile, Just A Minute host Nicholas Parsons added: "We have lost a great performer and a real trouper. And he could hold audiences in the palm of his hand."