Members of pop group Westlife comforted band member Nicky Byrne yesterday at the funeral of his father Nicky Snr (60) who died suddenly of a heart attack last Tuesday.

The pop star's dad was buried in Fingal Cemetery in Balgriffin after his funeral mass in a packed St Laurence O'Toole's Church in Seagrange, Baldoyle, Dublin.

While his son is a household name due to his international success with Westlife, Byrne Snr was a showbusiness star in his own right. The father of three was well-known on Ireland's cabaret circuit and had his own band called 'Nikki and Studz'. He is survived by his wife Yvonne, sons Nicky and Adam, and daughter Gillian.

A devastated Nicky Jnr was consoled by his wife Georgina, née Ahern, and their twin two-year-old boys Rocco and Jay.