Manchester stood still as music legends and football icons gathered to bid farewell to Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, the much-loved Stone Roses bassist whose influence shaped a generation.
The emotional service took place at Manchester Cathedral, drawing an extraordinary A-list crowd from across music and sport. Among those arriving to pay their respects were Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, drummer Alan ‘Reni’ Wren, Oasis icon Liam Gallagher, Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie, and style-council legend Paul Weller. Football royalty including David Beckham and Gary Neville were also present, honouring Mani’s lifelong devotion to Manchester United.
Mani died aged 63 after battling emphysema, with respiratory complications revealed last week. He was found at his Stockport home on November 20 after collapsing following a seizure. His death came just two years after the loss of his wife Imelda to bowel cancer, leaving behind their 12-year-old twin sons, Gene and George.
The funeral procession began in Heaton Moor, where a black hearse bearing the coffin was adorned with white flowers spelling out “R Kid” — a deeply Manchester tribute. As the coffin arrived at the cathedral shortly after 11.30am, mourners broke into spontaneous applause while The Stone Roses’ anthem I Wanna Be Adored echoed across the square.
Outside the cathedral, Brown spoke with raw emotion, saying the day was about celebrating Mani’s life as the “beautiful human being that he was”, calling him a brother and a musical comrade. He later joined the pallbearers, carrying the coffin alongside Squire, Wren, Gillespie and Gallagher — a moment that underlined Mani’s towering place in British music history.
Inside the service, Gillespie told the congregation that Mani was “not dead, he’s just gone”, insisting he would live forever in his soul and mind. He recalled Mani’s warmth, humour and razor-sharp ability to cut pretension down to size, adding that his gift for laughter carried them through every corner of the world.
Brown went even further, suggesting Manchester should erect a 50-foot golden statue in Mani’s honour, describing him as the life and soul of any room, someone who could laugh his way through even the darkest moments.
As the service ended, the coffin was carried once more by Mani’s bandmates and closest friends, with Beckham seen gently touching it in a final, private tribute. Bob Marley’s Redemption Song and Goin’ Back — written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King — played as Manchester said goodbye to one of its own.
