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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Amy Winehouse Cremated After 'Moving Yet Humorous' Memorial Service

Details surrounding Amy Winehouse's final hours became clearer as her family and friends laid her to rest today.

Kelly Osbourne and Mark Ronson were among the famous friends that joined Winehouse's family and loved ones at London's Edgwarebury Cemetery earlier today. Winehouse will be cremated following the service.

Winehouse's U.K.-based representative, Chris Goodman, told Britain's Daily Mail that her father gave a touching eulogy at today's ceremony.

"Mitch's last words to Amy in his eulogy were 'Goodnight my angel,'" Goodman said. "Sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much."

Reg Traviss, Winehouse's most recent boyfriend, attended the funeral and spoke to Britain's Sun newspaper about the singer's death, saying "I have lost my darling who I loved very much." Blake Fielder-Civil, Winehouse's ex-husband, was not in attendence. He's currently serving a 32 month jail sentence.

Rabbi Frank Hellner officiated the Jewish service in which family and friends sang Winehouse's favorite song, Carole King's "So Far Away." Afterwards, Winehouse's body was taken to Golders Green Crematorium, where her grandmother was cremated. Her family will sit shiva for two days in mourning.

Winehouse was found dead at her London apartment on Saturday, and her funeral, held at Edgwarebury Cemetery, was attended by about 150 people, including close friend Kelly Osbourne, who wore her hair in Winehouse's signature beehive style; Mark Ronson, who produced her 2006 album Back to Black, the last of her music released before her death; and boyfriend Reg Traviss.
Her father's eulogy was "funny," a spokesperson for Winehouse tells PEOPLE. He was "telling stories about her childhood, people were laughing like a celebration – like they all remembered the stories themselves.

The hour-long memorial service, meant to celebrate the Grammy winner's life, was partially in Hebrew because of her Jewish heritage. "It was emotional, it was happy and it was sad," her rep said. "It was everything really."

One mourner told PEOPLE, "It was very moving yet quite very humorous at times. It was a wonderful tribute to Amy."

When the memorial closed at 1:15 p.m., Carole King's "So Far Away", one of Winehouse's favorite songs that she had once performed as a duet with her father, was played. "Mitch encouraged everyone to sing to it and they did," the rep told PEOPLE. "People sang.

Mourners then headed to the Golders Green crematorium, where the family is following custom by having Winehouse cremated. "I think because her grandmother was cremated at the same place, so it was a family tradition to be cremated," the rep told PEOPLE.

Shiva, a Jewish grief custom, starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and guests were seen holding postcard-sized invitations with a black-and-white picture of Winehouse on them.

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