“If I don’t see you no more in this world, I’ll see you in the next one. Don’t be late.”
Jimi Hendrix, Voodoo Child (Slight Return) from Electric Ladyland, the Jimi Hendrix Experience
The sheer outpouring of love and affection for the man whose funeral I conducted last week was a wonderful thing to witness. Emails from his family and friends all around the world flew into my inbox celebrating his life and recalling poignant and funny memories.
It was my great honour to spend time with this brilliant, kind-hearted, and quick-witted man in the weeks prior to his death. He taught me so much in those few meetings … about gratitude and peaceful acceptance, about remaining strong and open-minded in the face of the unknown, about lifting the mood of those around you despite all you are experiencing, and about understanding that what really matters is the legacy of love we leave behind.
A huge music aficionado and lifelong fan of Jimi Hendrix, he was especially meticulous in the musical planning for his ceremony. He was a believer, of sorts, taking comfort in the view that the spirit or soul continues into the afterlife and finding peace in the great cycle of nature and the Buddhist philosophy of reincarnation.
The pews in the Main Chapel at Mortonhall Crematorium were filled with his family and friends, rainbow light streamed in through the stained glass windows, and the ceremony itself was an emotional, heartfelt and melody-filled tribute to a man who clearly filled the hearts of many who knew him. My love goes out to his family and friends.
