July 22nd 2024.
Shaun Ryder, the frontman of Happy Mondays, recently made a surprising declaration - he believes he only has ten years left to live. In a recent interview, he also opened up about the surreal experience of discussing his own funeral plans with his best friend, Bez.
For those who may not be familiar, Shaun rose to fame as the lead singer of the English rock band Happy Mondays, which formed in Manchester in 1980. He later went on to form Black Grape with his former Happy Mondays colleague, Bez, who is now 60 years old.
But now, the two friends have found themselves working on a different project together - planning Shaun's funeral. After battling drug addiction during the peak of his career, Shaun has since gotten clean. However, he has now signed on for a new Channel 4 series called Celebrity Send Off.
In this unique show, famous duos are tasked with organizing a fake funeral for their celebrity counterpart, with guidance and advice from Co-op Funeralcare experts. Before filming, Shaun had never even thought about his own funeral or creating a will. But now, at 61 years old, he believes he only has a decade left to live.
Shaun revealed, "I've got 10 years left, maybe 15, so I should be thinking about it. My dad was dead by 74 and our kid is already dead." He was referring to his brother and bandmate, Paul, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 58.
The three-part series kicks off with Bez taking on the task of organizing Shaun's funeral. The two friends discuss the experience, which they admit feels a bit bizarre. Shaun's kids and wife also thought it was a bit mad when they first heard about it.
But despite the initial shock, both Shaun and Bez were eager to participate. In the episode, Bez takes on the role of arranger while Shaun contemplates his own funeral wishes. They both agree on a traditional church service, in line with Shaun's Catholic upbringing.
However, they soon face differing opinions on aspects like burial or cremation, transportation, and floral arrangements. Bez also wants to incorporate Shaun's fascination with UFOs and extraterrestrial life into the funeral's theme. They also want to pay tribute to their working-class roots in Salford, which has an impact on Shaun's eulogy.
Reflecting on the experience, Bez admits it was a bit weird to think about his best friend's funeral, but he enjoyed getting creative and coming up with ideas that he knew Shaun would love. He even imagined Shaun looking down and laughing at the arrangements.
For Shaun, the whole experience was surreal, but it made him realize the importance of having open conversations about funeral wishes. He says, "It does make you realize, it's a good idea to talk to the ones you love while they're still here, so you can give them the send-off they deserve... and want!"
Apart from their work in Happy Mondays, Shaun and Bez have also appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox together in the past. Shaun was also the runner-up on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2010. The other pairs taking part in the Channel 4 series are Gogglebox's Marcus Luther and his wife Mica Ven, and Olympian Kriss Akabusi and his daughter Shakira Akabusi.
The show, which was first published on July 3, 2024, is now available for streaming on Channel 4's YouTube channel. If you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, you can get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us, calling 020 3615 2145, or visiting our Submit Stuff page - we would love to hear from you!
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