Melly farewell is all that jazz (and no blues)

12 April 2012

There were jokes, music, outrageous suits and raucous laughter, and today a grey overcast corner of West London was transformed into New Orleans as the funeral was held of George Melly, the flamboyant jazz entertainer who died last week.

As his coffin was borne to the West London crematorium a jazz band, including Kenny Ball on trumpet, struck up a New Orleans funeral march.

They played Just A Closer Walk With Thee and When The Saints - music so uplifting that mourners tapped their feet and some danced.

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Final journey: Sixties model Penelope Tree, left, and Melly's granddaughter Kizzie help carry his cardboard coffin

The cardboard coffin was covered with old snapshots and cartoons of Melly by his friends

It was not a conventional funeral; but Melly was not a conventional man. Friends and family rubbed shoulders with old mistresses - he was never one to observe the sanctities of the marriage vows.

The cardboard coffin was covered with old snapshots and cartoons of Melly by his friends. Someone had even tied fishing line, to commemorate his love of trout fishing.

A fishing line was tied to the coffin to commemorate Melly's love of trout fishing, Jazz man Kenny Ball (right) was among the mourners

Good-time George: Melly's funeral was as unconventional as the man himself, with friends, family and former mistresses all in attendance

Good-time George as he was so often known, was a man who collected friends all his life and among the mourners were Alan Bennett, Jonathan Miller, Anna Ford, the singer Paul Jones and the artist Maggi Hambling.

His widow Diana told the congregation Melly had a "fortunateî death because he had died at home.

It wasn't always easy, though: as he lay dying "three girlfriends all came on the same day - but not quite at the same time".

His son Tom read the death of Falstaff from Shakespeare and then broke down as he said: "I will always love him. I will always miss him and I will never forget him. He was bloody marvellous - and so were his suits."

Swansong: a New Orleans-style jazz band plays outside the chapel

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