In a vibrant and soulful tribute, hundreds of people gathered for a New Orleans-style jazz funeral to honor the life of renowned jazz musician Jeremy Huggett, who passed away in September at the age of 57.
A colorful parade, complete with a marching band and umbrella-waving mourners, filled the streets, celebrating the legacy of a man taken much too soon.
Huggett had deep ties to Bristol’s legendary jazz venue, The Old Duke, where he began working at the age of nine and performed every two weeks for many years.
His wife, Maria Huggett, described the celebration as a fitting reflection of his life and spirit.
“It’s not mournful, a jazz funeral,” she said. “It’s happy and a celebration. A celebration of his life, taken much too soon.”
Huggett’s influence on the jazz world was widely felt, especially in his role as president of the Bristol Jazz Society.
Carol Coombes, who worked alongside him, recalled being awestruck by his talent when she first saw him perform in the 1990s. “We went to see Band of Gold, and it was Jeremy Huggett. We thought, ‘Wow.'”
Fellow musician and close friend Howard Williams echoed these sentiments, noting that Huggett was “very well known in the jazz scene” and “an extremely good musician, very well respected.”
Among the many people whose lives Huggett touched was funeral director Ryan Squires, who fondly remembered Huggett playing at his wedding.
“It was a pleasure to have him there with us then, and it’s a pleasure, but a sad privilege, to be with him now,” Squires said. “He was with us at the start of our journey, and we’re with him sadly at the end of his.”
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