Dancing vicar turns Zimmers’ star Alfie Carretta’s funeral into a farewell party

Published: 16 July, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

FUNERALS can be glum affairs. But at the farewell for Archway’s Alfie Carretta, lead singer with the world-famous Zimmers, even the vicar was dancing in the aisles.

Alfie, the 93-year-old “voice” of the pensioner singing group, had insisted that there be no long faces at his service at Golders Green Crematorium on Tuesday.

Mourners, who included all 26 members of the Zimmers, representing in combined ages several thousand years, nodded and grooved to their own hit record, The Who’s My Generation, played at the end of the service.

Co-singer Dolores Murray, 67, a friend of Alfie’s for many years, distributed copies of the Tribune, to which Alfie had given his last exclusive interview.

In the article, Alfie, who was suffering from lung cancer, had talked about not being afraid to die because he’d had such a “wonderful life”.

David Palmer, the group’s manager, des­cribed Alfie as a true gentleman and star. 

“Whenever he performed he would totter up to the stage with his walking stick like a 90-year-old man,” he said. “And myself and the [group’s] nurse would worry if this really was such a good idea.

“But as the first note played the stick went one way and Alf went the other. 

“He suddenly transformed into a young rock star a fraction of his real age. He lit up the stage with his performance and energy and left everyone watching stunned.”

Conducting the service, the Rev Melanie Toogood, of St George’s Church, Tufnell Park, described Alfie, from Wedmore Street,  as a fantastic inspiration to elderly people. 

“Alfie’s life began when he joined the Zimmers as their lead singer, aged 90,” she said. 

“At a time when most people would have put on slippers and given up and retired he was travelling the world singing and giving interviews. And meeting stars like actor George Clooney.”

She described Alfie as an ambassador for the older generation who towards the end of his life got his wish to become a star.

Alfie’s sisters Queenie Tully and Irene  Carretta and his brother Peter led the mourners. 

Also present was BBC producer Tim Samuels, who three years ago began making a film about penºsioners who fight back. He had read about Alfie, who at that time had launched a campaign in the Tribune to save Essex Road Mecca bingo hall. The campaign failed but Tim decided to launch the Zimmers and their song My Generation on TV to symbolise anger among pensioners. 

The charity song was a huge hit and suddenly you were not too old at 70 or 90 – even in the pop world.

Alfie’s nephew, taxi driver Paul Tully, who helped organise the funeral, said his uncle would have loved it. “The vicar was wonderful,” he said. “She kept the tears from our eyes by making us laugh.” 

Later, everyone celebrated Alfie’s life with a drink at the Shakespeare pub in Clerkenwell.  

The last word went to Mr Palmer, who said he had never heard Alfie say a bad word about anyone. 

“Alf always acted with humility and took everything in his stride,” he added. “He would stop and speak to everyone and never turned down a request for an interview or autograph, no matter how tired he was. 

“He would always find the good in everyone and would  never judge.”