Vice President Joe Biden laid his son, Beau, to rest on Saturday in the company of hundreds of mourners. The former Delaware Attorney General also got a touching send off from Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who volunteered to sing at his funeral.
Martin played a haunting version of the band’s song, “ Til Kingdom Come ,” which was followed by a prayer that ended the ceremony, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Chris sang solo, with just his acoustic guitar, on the pulpit at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington.
Chris Martin learned through a family friend that Beau was a fan of his music and sang free of charge, CNN added.
When Chris Martin was finished singing, he gave both Joe, and his wife, Jill, a hug.
It seemed an appropriately gentle and quiet send-off for a man who was praised in emotional eulogies Saturday for his kindness, gentle heart, and modesty despite his powerful family name.
President Obama provided one of the ceremony’s eulogies, in which he called Biden a “man of character,” devoted to his family above all else, and who put everyone at ease, Mashable recounted.
“He did in 46 years what most of us couldn’t do in 146. He left nothing in the tank,” he said. “The example he set … made you want to be a better person. Isn’t that finally the measure of a man — the way he lives, how he treats others, no matter what life may throw at him? To the Biden family, this sprawling, intimate clan, I know that Beau’s passing has left a gaping void in the world.”
But perhaps the most heartbreaking words came from Hunter Biden, who, with older brother Beau in 1972, nearly died in car crash that took the life of their mother and sister.
“The first memory I have is of lying in a hospital bed with my brother. I was 3 years old. I remember my brother holding my hand and saying into my eyes, ‘I love you, I love you’ over and over again… My hand wasn’t the only hand Beau held. Beau’s was the hand holding everyone’s in need. That is my brother’s story.”
Besides Chris Martin, a bevy of dignitaries attended the funeral, from President Bill Clinton and presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as the governor, state and U.S. legislators, and government officials.
Plenty of others felt compelled, like Chris Martin, to pay their respects. A line formed outside the church at 4:30 a.m., and stretched around the block by breakfast; some people reportedly waiting five hours to see the casket.
[Photos Courtesy YouTube Screengrab, Mark Makela/Getty Images]
