Pub, club, stars and fans fall silent as Manchester bids its favourite son, The Hitman, a fond farewell

THOUSANDS of fans and celebrities joined the family and friends of Ricky Hatton yesterday to say farewell to the boxing legend.

- Chris Riches

The streets of Manchester were packed with mourners paying their respects to the People's Champion as his funeral cortege toured his home city.

"The Hitman", who drew huge crowds throughout his career, was found dead last month, aged 46.

Ricky's love of Only Fools and Horses was acknowledged by the 15-mile procession being led by one of the BBC sitcom's original yellow Reliant vans on a trailer.

Ricky bought the iconic three-wheeler for £4,000 and used to drive it around the area.

On the route to the service at Manchester Cathedral, the cortege stopped at his local pub — the Cheshire Cheese — where it was applauded by mourners.

Former world champion Ricky had fought giants in the ring and mental demons outside it.

The dad of three gained a wider following after retiring when he appeared on ITV's Dancing on Ice and the Sky documentary Hatton.

The great and the good of the sports and entertainment worlds filled the cathedral for an invitation-only ceremony.

Among the 1,000 guests saying goodbye to the devoted Manchester City fan were Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, who blew a kiss as he passed the open boot of the hearse.

Heartbroken

He then touched Ricky's City sky-blue coffin inside.