Fans at Keith Flint’s funeral
By Rachel Cordery, Reuters | Braintree, England – Dance music played out for the hundreds of fans who flocked to the town of Braintree in eastern England on Friday for the funeral of Keith Flint, former frontman of the Prodigy.
Face painting and free tattoos were on offer to those who had come to pay their respects to the “Firestarter” star.
Flint, a figurehead of the 1990s rave movement, was found dead at his home earlier this month aged 49.
An inquest, which opened this month, confirmed he had died as the result of hanging. It has been adjourned until July 23 for a full hearing.
Renowned for his facial piercings, heavy makeup and eccentric devil-horned hair cut, Flint played a major role in establishing the credibility of dance and electronic music.
The funeral procession followed a 2 ½ -mile path to St Mary’s Church and, while the church service itself was reserved for friends and family, Flint’s bandmates had invited fans to line the route to “raise the roof for Keef!”
Steve Hales was among those who heeded the call.
With dark makeup and a single strip of green hair reminiscent of Flint’s style, Hales said the amount of support for him was hardly surprising.
“His was music for generations,” he began, before being drowned out by motorbikes roaring up and down the streets.
The horse-drawn hearse was decorated by vibrant orange flowers spelling “Keef” and “Chief”, while his infamous fluorescent green microphone and an elegant arrangement of white and red roses adorned the coffin.
Actor Paul Kaye delivered the eulogy, recalling tales from Flint’s years on the road and his love for motorbikes, animals and jujitsu, to name but a few of his passions.
“You liked to live your life on the razor’s edge for the buzz,” Kaye said on behalf of bandmate Liam Howlett. “You were an anti-star, a pirate and committed to our cause of shaking people’s souls and buildings.”
Fans have launched a petition to have a statue of the late singer erected in Braintree. According to the petition, which has amassed almost 9,000 signatures, residents of the town want “to pay homage and honor its most famous son.”
Born in northeast London, Flint moved there in the mid-70s with his parents and in 1990 co-founded The Prodigy with Howlett and Leeroy Thornhill.
The group had been due to tour the United States in May and released their latest album “No Tourists” in November.
(Editing by Stephen Addison)
Keith Flint funeral: Fans say goodbye to The Prodigy star
By Roisin O’Connor, The Independen | Fans of the late Prodigy star Keith Flint flocked to Braintree in Essex today (29 March) to pay their final respects at the late musician’s funeral.
His bandmates had made the request that fans turn up to line the route to St Mary’s Church in Bocking and “raise the roof for Keef”.
As crowds gathered, flags were flown and music was played through loudspeakers outside the church and a green near the village pub.
25-year-old Maria Lelicova flew from Prague to attend the service, and said it was her “last time to have a connection, to say goodbye. I never had as strong a connection with other bands as with The Prodigy and it’s really something unique, and it’s part of my life.”
Flint’s family moved to Braintree when he was a child. He co-founded The Prodigy in 1990 with Liam Howlett and Leeroy Thornhill. In recent years he had been running The Leather Bottle pub in Pleshey, near Braintree.
The artist, 49, was found hanged at his home near Dunmow on 4 March.
Local schools were closed from midday to allow pupils and parents to avoid traffic caused by the funeral procession. Essex Police urged local residents to be “mindful of potential delays”. The procession will start from Courtauld Road in Braintree and continue along before turning right on Bradford Street, and left into Church Lane. It will finish at St Mary’s Church at 15.30pm, where a service will be held for Flint’s family and close friends.
The Prodigy released their latest album, No Tourists, in November, which marked their seventh consecutive number one record.
Howlett and bandmate Maxim called Flint “a true pioneer, innovator and legend”, and said Flint was their “brother and best friend” who would be “forever missed”.
Additional reporting by PA
https://www.yahoo.com/news/keith-flint-funeral-fans-prodigy-081900238.html
Photo: Keith Flint
Keith Flint funeral: Fans say goodbye to The Prodigy star