Family and friends said goodbye to "musician, architect and trouble maker" Nimrod Ping yesterday in a celebration of his life.

Mourners attending the funeral of the former Brighton borough councillor, who died of a sudden digestive illness on July 3, wore bright colours and gathered in the pews of St Margaret's Church, Rottingdean, as the organist played The Sun Has Got His Hat On and The Entertainer.

Father Martin Morgan, vicar of Rottingdean, said it was probably going to be the "campest" funeral the church had even seen.

In keeping with his own advice, "arrive late, be funny and leave early," Mr Ping's family arrived ten minutes late.

His coffin was carried into the church to Mr Blue Sky followed by his brother Peter Ping who arrived with bright green hair and dressed in a bright orange jacket and yellow trousers. Mr Ping's coffin was painted with a steam train running through the countryside.

As well as traditional hymns, the congregation sang Monty Python's Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

Father Morgan told the congregation that Mr Ping's funeral was over the top and that was the way it should be.

Mourners included the former mayor Bob Carden, Labour councillors Francis Tonks and Brian Fitch, Simon Burgess, the leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, city council chief executive Alan McCarthy and Fleetwood Mac guitarist John McKay.

Father Morgan said that Mr Ping had loved music and had great skills as an architect. He often joked that even though he had designed Sainsbury's in Lewes Road, Brighton, he had not designed the road layout.

He said: "It is people like Nimrod that remind us of that zest for living that we sometimes forget."

Peter Ping, Mr Ping's older brother, joked that even at his funeral he would not reveal his brother's age because his brother would never reveal it to The Argus.

He said: "We touched on his age. Every time he announced himself my younger brother he had to buy me a pint which is why he was always broke."

He said his brother, who was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in the late Ninieties, had a passion for steam trains, canal boats and travelling and had booked to go to Australia later this year to reward himself for finishing an MA in Urban Design. He was a third of the way through his dissertation.

He said: "Nim went hell for leather at life. When he was taken into Stoke Mandeville Hospital suffering from liver failure he refused to be operated on because he had just got down to a 32in waist and did not want to ruin all his hard work.

"He bypassed things that he found boring like cleaning. He once put a screwdriver in an electric socket and blew himself across the room."

Colin Dibley said Mr Ping was his best friend and "a truly wonderful and loving man".

The funeral procession left the church to Lou Reed's Perfect Day and Mr Ping was buried in the churchyard. His wake was held at the R Bar in Marine Parade, Brighton.