Hundreds of mourners paid their respects to merchandise manager Nick Alexander who was killed in the Paris Bataclan attack on November 13.
The 35-year-old was killed by extremists who opened fire on fans as they watched the Eagles of Death Metal. The killers – later revealed to be part of the IS group – then detonated suicide vests.
More than 250 mourners, including his parents Barry and Shelagh and sister Zoe, attended the funeral at St Andrew’s Parish Church in Weeley, Essex – where Nick was once an altar boy.
His body arrived in a silver hearse decorated with musical note-shaped floral tributes.
The order of service booklet included a picture of Nick at a pier, with words from American author Kurt Vonnegut: “Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.
“Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”
Family friend Peter Dumsday attended the service along with his wife Pamela.
He told the Essex Standard: “It wasn’t a sombre service. There were tears, but there was laughter and a lot of memories. It was an emotional atmosphere. If Nick had been in the church service, he would have been selling raffle tickets.
“People often say, ‘Don’t speak ill of the dead,’ but with Nick there is no need to. He was a nice young man, there wasn’t a nasty bone in his body. Once he started work he was away a lot, but he would always be home for Christmas. The funeral service was a fitting tribute to him.”
An online fundraising page for Mr Alexander’s family has raised more than £70,000.
Eagles of Death Metal also launched the Play It Forward campaign to raise money for the victims of the Paris terror attacks.
The band will return to Paris in February on their rescheduled European tour.
