Funeral Preps For British Reality TV Star Jade Goody
Mar. 23 2009, Published 9:02 a.m. ET
The family of British reality TV star Jade Goody is meeting today to make final arrangements for her funeral.
Goody, 27, died this weekend from cervical cancer. She passed away in her sleep early Sunday –Mother's Day in the U.K. Her husband Jack Tweed and mother Jackie Budden were at her bedside.
Actor-director Stephen Fry called Goody a "kind of Princess Di from the wrong side of the tracks" and her funeral is likely to draw comparisons to Diana's. Like Diana's funeral, the church service will be beamed to large TV screens to be watched by crowds outside. There will also be a procession through two local villages.
Goody's death has triggered an outpouring of emotion in England. Prayers were said for her at local churches, including St. John the Baptist at nearby Buckhurst Hill, where it is likely her funeral will be held. People are also leaving mounds of flowers at the gates of Goody's home, and British newspapers are devoting their covers to her.
Goody --who knew she had terminal cancer - spent the final months of her life raising public awareness of the disease, but still kept a high public profile. Her marriage to Tweed last month was broadcast live on British television. The publicity generated more than a million euros in fees, which Goody said was intended for her sons, 5-year-old Bobby and 4-year-old Freddy. (Photo: Splash)