Irene Roozbayani funeral: Hundreds of mourners mark life of 'inspirational' Fenwick make-up artist

Hundreds of mourners turned out at the West Road Crematorium to pay tribute to "inspirational" make-up artist and influencer Irene Roozbayani who died earlier this month.

Irene - a popular figure at Fenwick where she was a make-up artist on the Charlotte Tilbury counter - died on November 7, aged just 41. The leading make-up artist, who was known as the "Persian Cheryl" due to her striking similarity to the Geordie popstar, had been diagnosed with bowel cancer at the beginning of this year.

White horses led an elaborate hearse to the West Road, where the East Chapel was packed out so much so that upwards of a hundred people observed the emotional proceedings from outside.

Close friends Daniela, Alex and Asif gave moving eulogies and mourners heard how Irene had "inspired a generation of make-up artists". They also shared found memories of Irene's thoughtful nature, and how she would "make you feel like the most important person".

Speaking first, Daniela said: "To know Irene was to love her. What an incredible person she was. Over the course of the last few weeks I have seen so many caring social media statuses. [It shows] She had such a huge and positive impact on everyone's lives.

She said Irene, who was born in Scotland but raised in South Shields, had kept her diagnosis very private "because she really believed she would be a cancer survivor". She added: "She was not only incredible on the inside but she was also absolutely stunning on the outside. I will always remember how she looked so effortlessly glam in every single way."

Daniela said that while sometimes friends might suggest that Irene could move abroad for work, perhaps to Dubai, she was Tyneside through and through. "She would never bring herself to leave the North East," she said. "Newcastle was her home and always will be."

Alex began by saying: "We were all extremely fortunate to have had Irene in our lives." She went on in her eulogy to share memories of travelling to New York together with Irene for her 40th birthday and added a poignant message for Irene's father. She said to him: "Irene shared a special bond with her dad. Yousef, you truly are an incredible father."

Asif continued: "She was so glamourous, so feisty, but most of all so sweet. She had the gift of making you feel like just the most important person."

Officiant Caroline Brown added, based on her conversations with Irene's family and friends, a final tribute. She said Irene's life and the way she lived it taught us three lessons: "That life should be lived with passion. That kindness costs nothing but means everything. And that true beauty comes from within."

Last week, prior to the funeral, Irene's father Yousef shared his own deeply personal tribute. He told ChronicleLive: "Irene was very generous and happy, and she always liked to make people laugh. Everybody loved her and she was so friendly, always introducing me to new friends that she had made as she grew up.

"She had expensive taste, I remember that, but I think this really helped her in her career. I have lost the person that was always in my heart, and I will never forget her.

"On her last night, I cuddled her and spoke to her, and even though she couldn't speak back to me, I saw a tear in her eye. I want the people who knew here to remember her for the person that she was, and I miss her so much."

Irene was an in-demand make-up artist, and a talented artist more generally, her friends told the service, which began with Halo by Beyoncé and also featured a moment of reflection soundtracked by Bruno Mars' track Just The Way You Are.

There were also tributes from friends and colleagues at Fenwick's Charlotte Tilbury counter, including management at both organisations. The funeral also heard how staff at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, and in particular her oncologist - who Irene had said was a "genius" - had been exceptional.

Donations were collected in lieu of flowers in aid of the "incredible" Marie Curie Hospice in Newcastle, where Irene spent her last moments.

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