Michael Parkinson laid to rest at 'dignified' funeral as 'friends and family gather at local pub'

Sir Michael Parkinson

Sir Michael Parkinson died at the age of 88 in August

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Alex Davies

By Alex Davies


Published: 14/09/2023

- 09:35

The legendary broadcaster died at the age of 88 on August 16

One month on from Sir Michael Parkinson's death, his close friends and family gathered to lay him to rest at his funeral.

The ceremony took place at St Michael's Church, Bray, with 90 of his nearest and dearest in attendance.


It's been reported that Parkinson's coffin was adorned with a cricket cap, and a red and white Barnsley scarf in homage to his love of sport.

Mourners were decked in all-black for the event while the music was provided by Parky's favourite singer, Frank Sinatra.

Following the farewell, 90 of Parkinson's friends and family reportedly headed to The Hind's Head Pub to raise a glass to their loved one.

A source from the funeral said of the day: "It was a very dignified send-off for a man who remained understated and classy to the end.

Sir Michael Parkinson

Michael Parkinson died of 'frailty of old age'

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"Everyone was in good spirits remembering him and his achievements. It was perfect," they told The Sun.

Parkinson's death sent shockwaves through the showbiz world after his family revealed in a statement it was due to a "brief illness".

An official cause of death was revealed a few weeks later as "frailty of old age" was cited on his death certificate, as seen by Express.co.uk.

Tributes from far and wide flooded in for the iconic interviewer, including from GB News' very own Eamonn Holmes.

Close friend and cricketing legend Sir Geoffrey Boycott also paid a tribute of his own when he joined GB News for a chat just hours after the news broke.

"I met him at Barnsley Cricket Club when I was 15 years of age and he was a pretty good player," Boycott said. "Michael went onto better things, he went on to writing.

His writing was stories about Yorkshire – about Barnsley Cricket Club, about Yorkshire Cricket Club, and about the people in the mining community.

“Most of the stories came from his father and Michael was clever enough to embellish them with great humour.

Michael Parkinson

Michael Parkinson was a familiar face on screens for decades

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“He then went onto TV and he was the best chat show host because he listened to people," Boycott praised.

"He not only asked questions but he listened to them and he actually liked them."

"In fact, he didn’t want them on his show unless he wanted to have them."

Paying mention to Parkinson's love of his home county, Boycott added Parkinson "never lost his Yorkshire roots" and he was the "soul of Yorkshire".

Other stars to pay tribute to Parkinson include Sir David Attenborough and Sir Michael Caine among hundreds of others.

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