"She was always an inspiration to me," said Lulu, who was a close friend and chart rival throughout the Sixties. I remember when I was 15 and had my first hit everyone said, 'Who do you like and admire?' Dusty was top of that list.

"I remember when she was in the Springfields and how great they were, and Dusty was the first one to demonstrate girl power when she went solo."

The coffin bearing Dusty's body was brought to the church by horse-drawn carriage with a wreath in pink and white. Hundreds of fans, many of them weeping, lined the main street to pay their respects and catch a glimpse of stars arriving for the funeral.

Lulu said: "She was a real powerful force and yet she was shy. She was very vulnerable and that enabled me to feel close to her. She drew me towards her with this special quality and allowed me to get close. She brought her soul to the whole world. To sing with that kind of passion and emotion bares the soul."

Neil Tennant, whose Pet Shop Boys revived her career in the Eighties, said: "When I was growing up in the Sixties, Dusty was the very essence of fabness: the hair, the eyes - it gave me a funny feeling listening to her voice. Because of her music, she will always be fab."

There was a message from Burt Bacharach, who said: "I only needed to hear three notes and I knew it was Dusty. It was such a rare and beautiful voice."

Joining Lulu, Neil Tennant and 300 mourners inside the church were Lionel Blair and singers Elvis Costello, Kiki Dee and Madeleine Bell. Miss Bell burst into tears almost as soon as she walked in.

Among the floral tributes were a yellow heart-shaped bouquet from Elton John and his partner David Furnish, a single rose from PJ Harvey, and wreaths from Rod Stewart, Tom Jones, Cilla Black, Carole King and Tim Feild, from the group she was in with her brother, The Springfields.

The service included a medley of Dusty's songs. As her coffin was borne in, her biggest hit, "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me," was played. After, there was a private cremation attended by her brother Tom and other family members.

Tim Cooper
ITN Website,
March 12, 1999