Two burglars trick pensioner for cash
THE DRESS code was “black and fabulous” and the mood bittersweet as Martyn Hett, an icon for the millennial generation, went out “like a diva” yesterday.
Mr Hett, inset, a victim of the Manchester terror attack, was a public relations man with hundreds of friends and many more online “fans” who had been attracted by his lively social media posts and a series of TV appearances.
Among them were the cast and producer of
and the American pop star Mariah Carey. She sent a recorded message, which was played to funeral crowd of 600 at Stockport Town Hall.
“I just wanted to say that I love you and I’m so happy that we got a chance to meet and I know you’re shining down on us from heaven,” she said.
Mr Hett, 29, had tweeted many times about his love for the singer. “My life peaked when I met Mariah Carey,” he wrote.
Another celebrity with whom he struck up a friendship was the Scots singer Michelle McManus, a former winner of ITV’s
She sang at the service, and said: “I’m just someone that met Martyn because Martyn was so kind to me and kindness is really under-rated, I think, in this world today.”
actors Helen Worth, Jennie McAlpine, Kym Marsh, Antony Cotton, Faye Brookes and the show’s producer Kate Oates were also present. Mr Hett had said he was a superfan”, and had a portrait of Deirdre Barlow tattooed on his leg. His coffin was decorated with the programme’s titlepiece and cast pictures.
He had been due to set off on a two-month trip to America shortly after attending the fateful Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May. His family said he “just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time”.
His mother Figen Murray had said: “Having lived the life of a diva, and a social media sensation, he has to have an exit like a diva.”
At the service, his stepfather Stuart Murray read a letter from a stranger who had seen watched him entertaining the crowds by dancing to a Beyonce song as they waited for Grande to enter.
He said: “Martyn was really the complete opposite of the person (bomber) and what happened on that awful day. He just swallowed it all up, all that hate and anger, and his star is shining bright for us all to see and remember.”
His father, Paul Hett, told the congregation his son’s had been “one long rollercoaster ride”.
“His comic timing was perfect,” he said. “He would have gone on to achieve the most amazing things.”
When the service finished, the coffin was carried out of the church to Grande’s – the last song played at the concert before the attack.
Mourners applauded in the street as the coffin left.
A burglar distracted an 89-year-old woman in her own home while his accomplice stole cash and jewellery. Officers yesterday asked for help to trace the offenders after the “distraction burglary” at about 3.45pm in North Street on Thursday. One of the men – white, aged about 35, of slim build and about 5ft 5in – spoke to the woman as the other stole the items.