FRIENDS, students and colleagues celebrated the life of slam poet David MacArnold at Oxford Crematorium yesterday.
The poet, who went by the stage name Davy Mac, died on November 19 from prostate cancer and deep vein thrombosis at the Churchill Hospital aged 62.
The group of 40 close friends conducted the funeral in a slam poetry style, with everyone having three minutes to speak or perform.
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As the poet left no estate and had no close family, close friend Andie Berryman set up a campaign to raise £1,000 for his funeral.
The 38-year-old poet said: “They say that every dog has its day, but Davy never had that in his lifetime.
“Today he’s finally getting his day.”
Friend and poetry enthusiast Dan Holloway, 43, said: “I first met Davy at a slam poetry night I was running in Modern Art Oxford in 2011, and he just blew us away.
“He was someone you could listen to for hours, which was lucky because you’d usually end up listening to him for hours.”
Actor and musician Gordon Booker, 47, who officiated at the service, said: “Thank you to everyone who contributed to this financially and emotionally, I think it’s gone pretty well.”
At the end of the service mourners laid roses on Mr MacArnold’s coffin, next to his grey fedora which he was never seen without.
- The late David MacArnold, known as Davy Mac
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