AceShowbiz - Singing duo The Proclaimers were among hundreds of fans who turned out to pay their last respects to singer Gerry Rafferty as he was laid to rest in Scotland on Friday morning, January 21. The "Baker Street" icon passed away earlier this month, on January 4 after suffering liver failure, resulting from a long battle with alcoholism.

Hundreds of devotees turned up to honor the songwriter at St Mirin's Cathedral in his hometown of Paisley. Funnyman Billy Connolly, who formed folk group the Humblebums with Rafferty, was unable to attend the ceremony due to touring commitments in Australia and was said to have been "devastated" to have missed the funeral.

Scottish singing siblings The Proclaimers and the country's First Minister Alex Salmond turned out for the service and playwright/artist John Byrne gave the eulogy, remembering Rafferty as "very single-minded, which he used wonderfully well". Byrne added, "He had hundreds and hundreds of wonderful, brilliant and marvellous songs. He was very, very funny, Gerard. He was a very serious and very thoughtful person... When I saw him in Stroud a few weeks before he died, his spirit was strong and he had a serenity about him which I thought was wonderful."