Stone Roses Mani's star-studded Manchester send-off

Stone Roses Mani's star-studded Manchester send-off Family, friends and fans of Gary "Mani" Mounfield have turned out in force in Manchester to bid farewell to the much-loved bass player of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. Some of the biggest names of British 80s and 90s music, including his former bandmates Ian Brown and Bobby Gillespie, as well as Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, were all in attendance for the service at Manchester Cathedral. Former Manchester United footballers Sir David Beckham and Gary Neville also attended. Fans lined the streets as the funeral cortege went from the star's home in Heaton Moor in Stockport to Manchester city centre. 'Beautiful soul and spirit' The Stone Roses singer Brown led the tributes with a eulogy, saying his bandmate was like "a brother to me" and a "beautiful human being". Pausing briefly as he went into church, Brown said he was there to celebrate "what a beautiful human being that he was". Asked what Mounfield meant to him, the singer said: "Everything. He's a brother to me, a musical comrade... a beautiful soul and spirit." He added that the bass player "was able to laugh his way through any darkness" and was "the life and soul of any room he was in". Brown, whose speech was played to the gathered masses outside - many of whom wearing bucket hats and Stone Roses T-shirts - was applauded after suggesting he should start a campaign for a lasting statue for his old bandmate. "A fifty foot gold statue of Mani in the city," he said. 'R kid' Hundreds of fans gathered outside the cathedral and applauded as the cortege arrived, preceded by a guard of scooter riders as The Stone Roses track I Wanna Be Adored played on speakers. Mounfield's coffin - decorated with the classic paint splashed artwork from The Stone Roses first album - was carried into the cathedral as family and friends followed, with more applause from the crowd. A Manchester United scarf also adorned his coffin, which was next to a wreath bearing the affectionate Mancunian term: "R kid". Mounfield's bass playing was an integral part of The Stone Roses' "baggy" sound - as heard on tracks like Fools Gold. He joined another seminal group, Primal Scream, in 1996 and played with them for 15 years, before rejoining his old band for a series of reunion gigs. Primal Scream frontman Gillespie followed Brown in giving his eulogy. He recalled having first met Mani at the legendary Hacienda nightclub in Manchester. "He made me feel a million dollars. His enthusiasm and positivity was contagious." Other Manchester musicians at the service included Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs from Oasis, Mike Joyce from The Smiths and Peter Hook of New Order, who played in a band called Freebass with Mani and the late Andy Rourke. Bez from the Happy Mondays was also in attendance at the funeral, which was a veritable Who's Who of legendary music figures from the city. Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, music journalist...

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