Ian Brown honours Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield at funeral with heartfelt speech: “Mani was like a brother to me”
At the funeral service for The Stone Roses legend Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield at Manchester Cathedral, Ian Brown said he “was like a brother to me” during a heartfelt speech.
Mounfield’s funeral was held at Manchester Cathedral on December 22nd, more than a month after Mounfield sadly died at his home in Heaton Moor, Greater Manchester, on November 20th, aged 63.
It was confirmed last week that Mounfield died peacefully in his sleep due to respiratory issues that the long-standing lung condition, emphysema, had caused.
Those in attendance at the service at Manchester Cathedral included his former Stone Roses bandmates Brown, Alan ‘Reni’ Wren and John Squire, as well as his former Primal Scream bandmate Bobby Gillespie.
Liam Gallagher, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Tim Burgess, Paul Weller, Guy Garvey, Bez and Peter Hook were also at Manchester Cathedral to pay their respects to Mounfield.
According to the BBC, The Stone Roses frontman told the congregation, “Mani was like a brother to me, a musical comrade.”
Brown continued, “Beautiful soul and spirit. Mani was able to laugh his way through any darkness. He was the life and soul of any room he was in.”
He then noted, “Mani wouldn’t want us to be broken-hearted, but we are.” Brown also called for Manchester to honour Mounfield with a 50-foot gold statue.
Gillespie then spoke to the congregation, telling those at Manchester Cathedral, “Mani’s warm and welcoming manner, treating me like an equal, made me feel like a million dollars and I’ll never forget that.”
The Primal Scream singer continued, “No-one was too important to escape his laser-eye ability to cut the pretentious and self-important down to size, myself included! His ability to make laughter out of any situation was our great value wherever we were in the world.”
He also powerfully said that Mani “will always live forever in my soul and mind”.
A private committal service will follow the farewell at Manchester Cathedral.
Following the Manchester Cathedral service, Liam Gallagher joined The Stone Roses’ Alan ‘Reni’ Wren and John Squire in carrying Mounfield’s coffin, which is designed in the same famous artwork from the band’s seminal 1989 debut.
Mounfield is survived by two children that he shared with his wife, Imelda, who tragically died in 2023 due to bowel cancer.
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