Westlife star Nicky Byrne lays his father to rest in emotional ceremony

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 20:45 EST, 7 November 2009


Westlife star Nicky Byrne laid his father to rest today in an emotional ceremony.

The 31-year-old's face was contorted by grief as he acted as pallbearer for his father Nicky Sr.

Earlier the grieving star and his family had been joined by Nicky's Westlife bandmates as they sang at the service in tribute to the 60-year-old, a musician and singer on the cabaret scene.

Nicky Byrne

Grief: Westlife star Nicky Byrne (R) helps carry his father's coffin to the hearse at at Lawrences Church in Balldoyle, Dublin today

Westlife's founder Louis Walsh also attended the service at Lawrences Church in Balldoyle, Dublin, before flying back to London to act as a judge on tonight's X Factor show.

Amongst the mourners were writer Cecelia Ahern and boyfriend athlete David Keoghan, Irish TV chef Terry McCoy, the former Taoiseach of Ireland Bertie Ahern, Irish singer Michael English, Boyzone singer Ronan's wife Yvonne Keating, Irish TV producer Bill Hughes, and Gaelic footballer Gary Kavanagh.

Louis Walsh
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern

Famous faces: X Factor judge and Westlife founder Louis Walsh joined former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the service

Close Nicky Byrne with his father Nicky Sr

Close: Nicky Byrne with his father Nicky

Nicky Sr, who had his own band called 'Nicky and the Studz', was the person who inspired a young Byrne to go into the music business and the pair used to sing karaoke together.

The pair were partularly close and in December, Byrne threw a lavish party at a Dublin hotel for Nicky Sr’s 60th birthday and presented his father with a Harley-Davidson motorbike as a present.

His sudden death earlier this week left Byrne devastated. He was in London on a promotional tour and immediately flew home to Ireland.

Grief

United in grief: Brian McFadden's mother Mairead McFadden, Westlife member Mark Feehily and his boyfriend Kevin McDaid, Brendan McFadden



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