Fans of The Prodigy from around the world have travelled to Essex to pay their respects to Keith Flint, whose funeral took place on Friday afternoon.
The legendary frontman died at the age of 49 earlier this month, and his bandmates encouraged fans to travel to Braintree for his funeral procession.
When the day came, many gathered on a green between a local village pub and the church where Keith’s private funeral took place, with plenty arriving long before it started:
Videos from the day show music playing and fans dancing, in a big celebration of the frontman’s life and talents:
Among those who gathered was 25-year-old Maria Lelicova, who flew in from Prague for the service and became tearful as she said: “It’s the last time to have a connection, say goodbye”.
“I never had so strong connection with other bands as with The Prodigy and it’s really something unique and it’s part of my life,” she added. “I have three Prodigy tattoos, I love Keith Flint since my childhood because when I was really, really baby I was scared of him.
“I always wanted to come here and visit him in his pub and stuff like this and you feel like you have a lot of time for it but now I’m here at the funeral.”
Many of the fans present often travelled to see the band and Dennis Kuhne, 40, who flew in from Germany, said he wanted to “say goodbye to Keith”.
“My first concert I think was in 1995 for the Jilted Generation tour,” he said. “Since that time I follow the guys on almost every tour, festivals and everywhere they played in Germany. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
Araks Azarian, travelled from even further afield, with his flight from Australia arriving on Friday morning.
“I’ve been doing it for years, to see the boys, and this is going to be my last chance to do it,” she said.
Barriers and portable toilets were brought in to help with the crowds while local schools closed early to allow parents and children to avoid the additional traffic.
Essex Police warned of delays in the area as the force was expecting a “large number of well-wishers” to attend the procession.
While the funeral service itself took place in front of an invited group of family and friends, it was played on speakers outside the church for fans to hear.
Keith’s death came as a shock to many fans and his bandmates, who cancelled all of The Prodigy’s summer tour dates following the shock news.
The band released their latest album No Tourists in November, their seventh consecutive number one record, and Keith’s bandmate Liam Howlett described him as “a true pioneer, innovator and legend”.
Adding that Keith was his “brother and best friend”, he said: “He will be forever missed.”
