An impromptu event at a chapel in Stoke Newington took place today in memory of Lou Reed, the 72-year-old singer-songwriter who died last Sunday.
"Heroin, it's my wife and it's my life," a woman reads to a crowd of about 100 fellow mourners at the north London wake.
It is not something you would normally hear at such a sombre event, but those gathered at the Newington Green Unitarian Chapel were not at a typical wake.
The impromptu event, dubbed Wake On The Wild Side in honour of Reed's greatest hit, was born after his British fans came together while mourning his loss on social media.
Organiser Stefan Simanowitz said free tickets to the wake had been snatched up in less than 48 hours.
A band replaced a choir, Reed's own lyrics were read as eulogies and images of Reed watched over his fans as they cycled through a projector cast on a chapel wall.
Simanowitz said musicians like Nick Cave wanted to attend, but their schedule could not work with the hastily thrown together event.
He said it was a celebration of Reed's music for his fans, by his fans.
"The overwhelming response to this celebration of Lou Reed's life is an indication of how important a figure he was to millions of people in the UK and around the world," he said.
The wake was streamed live over the internet.
