HUNDREDS of mourners turned out en masse to say goodbye to popular Weymouth musician Andy Arnold.

Andy was cremated at a moving service yesterday afternoon at Weymouth Crematorium featuring some of his own songs.

Dad-of-five Andy died last month, aged 51, after losing his battle with a brain tumour.

After being diagnosed with the inoperable tumour, the former Wildcats and Bop Street band member meticulously planned out his own funeral.

He told family and friends to think of his wake as a big party celebrating his life.

Andy, who performed in many Weymouth pubs over the years, selected his versions of My Way and California Blues as his send-off soundtrack and chose some of his own poems to be read out.

The poems came from his published book Take Me Out, which documented his feelings for his children and partner Jenny Ives in verse.

HGV driver Andy turned to poetry while undergoing treatment for his tumour.

He sold 500 copies of his book, to raise £1,000 for the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust, Rosetta Life and the Down’s Syndrome Association.

The phenomenal response to Andy’s book was testament to his popularity and courage, his brother John said.

He added: “Andy thought the most important thing was to be close to your family and the people you love.

“He’d say ‘you should never lose touch with them and bear any grudges because you never know what’s going to happen’.”

John said Andy was unique because he made the most of every second he had left.

“When he initially became ill, Andy said ‘why me?’ and felt angry.

But when he realised he couldn’t fight it any more he said ‘we have to do what we have to do – let’s do all the planning.’ “He planned everything from start to finish.”