Ska legend Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson's funeral held

The Selecter frontman died in June after a short illness

The funeral of 2-Tone music legend Arthur "Gaps" Hendrikson has taken place at Coventry Cathedral.

Hendrikson - co-founder of ska band The Selecter - was diagnosed with cancer in 2023 and died in June, aged 73.

The Selecter's co-lead singer Pauline Black OBE described him as "extraordinary" and a "really fine songwriter".

Black, who attended the funeral, said it was a day she had been dreading: "His loss to me is immeasurable. His loss to The Selecter is immeasurable. He was such a force of life."

Pauline Black attending the funeral of Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson in Coventry

Formed in Coventry in 1979, The Selecter's debut album Too Much Pressure was released in February 1980.

Alongside acts such as Madness and The Beat, they helped forge a music scene that encompassed ska, 2-tone and punk genres, with a focus on radical politics.

The band went on to release five top 40 singles in the UK, with their latest album Human Algebra released last year.

Black, who gave the eulogy said she wanted people to know "who Gaps was".

"It's very much a tribute to Gaps... I mean, there's so much to say about his professional life, but I think there's probably quite a lot that people don't know about him as a person," she said.

But she told the BBC she would not be revealing the meaning of his nickname.

"I do know the mystery of that, but I'm not going to divulge it because he never did. His sister whispered to me what it was, and it's the most obvious thing, but let's leave it there."

The Selecter on stage at the Roundhouse, London, 7 March 2020

The Selecter featured a mix of racial backgrounds and genders, with songs addressing social issues including racism and sexism.

Pauline Black pledged the band would continue Hendrickson's legacy: "He passionately believed in everything The Selecter was for, believed in, you know the fight against racism, sexism, all those kinds of things.

"And while I've got breath in my body that's what I will do, in his memory."