LOS ANGELES, Nov 19: Family and friends of Diem Brown gathered for a funeral service for the reality star who passed away from cancer last week.
They said goodbye at the emotional event which took place at the Church of St Francis Xavier in New York City, reported People magazine.
Trisha Yearwood sang her song ‘I Remember You’ at the service. The track, featured in her album PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit, is a tribute to her mother who passed away from breast cancer in 2011.
Brown’s sister Megan delivered an eulogy, saying that she visited some of her sister’s favourite spots and sharing stories from the reality TV star as a kid.
“Diem loved hard, lived hard and danced hard. My mom always said that Diem came out fighting since day one,” she said in front of the mourners.
In addition to Yearwood, Brown’s close friends Julie Rotondi, Erin Robbins and Alicia Quarles were present, reading passages from the Bible and poems. Ethan Zohn, a friend and cancer activist she met during activities at Stand Up for Cancer, read a letter from its founder Katie Couric.
At the end of the service, photos of the ‘Challenge’ star from her childhood, her time at school and more recent ones were displayed.
Brown passed away on November 14 at the age of 32 after her doctors found out her ovarian cancer were spread to other organs last summer. She previously battled the disease in 2006 and 2012. (PTI)