THE funeral procession of Smokie legend Terry Uttley was applauded by fans and friends lining a street to say goodbye.

Terry, the last original member of the Bradford rock band, died in December, aged 70, after a short illness.

His funeral, a private family ceremony, took place today and the cortege passed through his home town of Ilkley, where crowds of fans lined The Grove to pay respects.

Terry's daughter Holly recently told the T&A the family had received tributes and messages from fans around the world. "Dad lived in Ilkley for 40 years and knew so many people. We wanted to give him a 'final hurrah' so that people could pay their respects," said Holly. "We've been totally overwhelmed by all the tributes. People have been saying how kind and lovely he was."

Terry died just four weeks after the death of his wife, Shirley, 76. The couple had two daughters, Holly and Lisa, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Smokie was founded in 1964 by Alan Silson and Chris Norman, who were at St Bede's School in Heaton with Terry.

In 2006 Terry told the T&A: "The first couple of times they asked me to join the band I said no, I had a job as an apprentice at Fields Printers in Lidget Green which I was happy with. But the third time they asked me I said yes, and it went on from there."

Terry, from Allerton, joined as bass guitarist and the band played local pubs and clubs under several names, including The Elizabethans, before signing a record deal and becoming Smokie. They had chart success in the 1970s, with hits including If You Think You Know How To Love Me, Don't Play Your Rock And Roll To Me and Oh Carol.

Smokie split in 1981 then reunited in 1986 for a fundraising concert for families of those who died in the Bradford City fire. When singer Chris Norman left he was replaced by Alan Barton, who died in 1995 when Smokie's tour bus crashed in Germany. The band later continued with frontman Mike Craft.

Smokie sold over 30 million records worldwide and toured extensively across Europe, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. They were made honorary citizens of Seoul as the first Western band to sell a million singles in South Korea, they were the first international band to play in Greenland, and they played at the Kremlin for Russian president Vladimir Putin's 60th birthday party.

"We were in the President's suite surrounded by men in suits reaching for guns in their pockets. Quite an experience!" Terry told the T&A in 2006.

"We're always gigging and we take the time to learn about different cultures. We've even recorded songs in Chinese and Spanish."

For many years Smokie hosted a gala dinner dance at Ilkley's Craiglands Hotel for the Annette Fox Fund Haematology Unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary. What began as a one-off concert turned into an annual event, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds.

"The annual gala was a big part of his and our mum's life," said Holly.