Comedian Janey Godley's funeral held after tragic cancer death with stars paying respects
The funeral of beloved Scottish comedian Janey Godley has been held following a two-day "final tour" of the cities she adored. Janey, who sadly passed away on November 2 at the age of 63 after receiving palliative care for terminal cancer, was remembered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow's west end. Among the mourners were former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon and comedian David Mitchell.
Ashley Storrie, speaking at the funeral of her mother, said Janey would be “very grateful” to all those who have paid tribute to her. The BAFTA-winning Scottish actress told the congregation at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow she would not be able to do any of her mother’s jokes because she was in a “house of God”. Storrie, 38, who is also a comedian, screenwriter and radio presenter, said: “My mum is very grateful to all of you who came out yesterday to Edinburgh and lined the Royal Mile and lifted your voices in song, and the people who’ve come today to remember her in the best way possible.
“My mum was very much a daughter of Glasgow, she loved her city dearly, it was her favourite place in the whole wide world. The emblem of Glasgow is the tree that never grew, and the bell that never rang, and the bird that never flew, and the fish that never swam, and I think she took that as a challenge.”
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The funeral was brought to an end with her catchphrase “Frank, get the door”. As the service at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow concluded, a recording of Godley saying the phrase, with which she ended each of her Nicola Sturgeon parodies, was played as the doors of the church were opened.
It comes after a hearse carrying her coffin journeyed through the heart of Edinburgh on Friday. Ashley poignantly described the journey as her mother’s "final tour, in the two cities she loved with all her heart".
Janey, who gained viral fame with her hilarious dubbed parodies of then Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s coronavirus news briefings during the pandemic, bravely revealed her ovarian cancer diagnosis in November 2021. On Friday, 29 November, the hearse travelled along the Royal Mile and Lawnmarket in Edinburgh, pausing for reflection at St Giles’ Cathedral before continuing its journey to Glasgow.
Her funeral on Saturday is being live-streamed on YouTube, and attendees were encouraged to wear bright colours if they wished, instead of traditional attire. In a heartfelt statement, her family said: "Janey Godley, a daughter of Glasgow, was born, raised, lived, and died in the city. She was Glasgow, and it was part of her."
They added, "It was important to her that her funeral be open to all – to the people who followed and supported her throughout her career and, more importantly, through these last few years with overwhelming love and kindness." A private service at a crematorium follows the funeral.
Janey was given the all-clear in 2022 but later that year she announced another scan had shown signs of the disease in her abdomen. Despite this, she said she would continue touring with her Not Dead Yet gigs. She later had to cancel her tour as her cancer progressed.
In 2023 she won the inaugural Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival. However, in September this year, she cancelled her autumn tour after her stage four ovarian cancer, which had been kept at bay through NHS treatment over the last few years, returned with what she said were added complications.
She died peacefully in the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow, surrounded by her loved ones, her management company said.
