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29 May 2017

Hundreds gather in Manchester to remember ‘iconic diva’ Martyn Hett

By Ross Semple

Hundreds of people gathered in Stockport yesterday (May 28) to remember Manchester bombing victim Martyn Hett .

Martyn’s friends and family were among those who came together in Heaton Moor Park for a vigil to remember him and celebrate his life.

Martyn, a 29-year-old PR Manager from Stockport, who had appeared on television shows including Come Dine With Me and Tattoo Fixers , lost his life during the suicide bombing attack at Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester on Monday night (May 22).

In an emotional speech to the crowd last night, Martyn’s mum Figan paid tribute to her “iconic, fun, eccentric, diva” son, who she described as “comical beyond belief.”

“A party in the park just for him, he’d be so impressed, ” she told the crowd. “And he deserves us all to be here, because he touched so many lives in so many ways.

Figan said that the outpouring of support the family has received has stopped her from being consumed by hate or anger. “It’s due to all this love and kindness that I’m never going down the route of hate or anger at those responsible for what happened.

“Badness is a permanent feature in the world at the moment, but I have learnt this week that it also has an abundance of goodness and that by fair outweighs the darkness.

“No one can ever take Martyn out of our lives.”

Martyn’s brother Dan wore a t-shirt featuring an illustration of his brother to the vigil, joking that it made him look like he was going to a hen do.

After a moment of silence, Martyn’s friend Rob sang a rendition of Mariah Carey’s ‘Till The End Of Time’ to the crowd.

Carey paid tribute to Martyn on Instagram earlier this week. Sharing a photo of Hett on Instagram in which he was wearing one of his  many Mariah t-shirts, Carey wrote: “Devastated to learn that one of the victims in Manchester was part of the #Lambily. RIP Martyn Hett.

“We will cherish your memory forever. His family and all the families affected are in my thoughts and prayers. MC.”

Martyn was a huge fan of Coronation Street, and sported a large tattoo iconic soap character Dierdre Barlow on his left leg. A number of the show’s cast members were in attendance. Shobna Gulati, who plays Sunita on the show, read a poem written by a former writer on the soap. Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fizz, was also at the vigil.

It was announced this week that a bench will be placed on the Coronation Street set in tribute to those who lost their lives on Monday.

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