Michelle Phillips, the last surviving member of the 1960s group the Mamas and the Papas, recalled band mate Denny Doherty as a man of humour and gentility at his funeral in Halifax on Saturday.

"Denny had a blisteringly funny sense of humour — that Irish charm, that intelligence — that drew people to him for life," Phillips told hundreds who attended the service at St. Stephen's Roman Catholic Church in the north-end neighbourhood Doherty grew up in.

Denny Doherty, a former member of the Mamas and Papas, poses in New York in 2003. He died Jan. 19, 2007, after complications from surgery.
(Robert Spencer/Associated Press)

Family members, close friends and members of the music, acting and theatre communities gathered for a few hours to memorialize the 66-year-old musician.

The singer died Jan. 19 at his home in Mississauga, Ont., after having surgery due to an aneurysm in his abdomen.

Doherty was 'one of the greatest tenors in rock 'n' roll.'—Michelle Phillips, ex-band member

Phillips, who did not sing at the funeral, told the Halifax Chronicle-Herald newspaper that Doherty was "one of the greatest tenors in rock 'n' roll" and "one of the kindest, dearest and most beloved people ever."

The influential band, which broke up in 1968, brought a unique sound to the musical universe with songs such as California Dreamin', Dedicated to the One I Love, I Saw Her Again Last Night, Dream a Little Dream of Me and Monday, Monday.

Playwright Paul Ledoux recalled the singer as a "charming man with a voice that … melts your heart." Ledoux and other friends said Doherty's voice was angelic, matching his personality.

"Denny was a lovely man. I liked this world a lot better when he was walking on it," said Pat LaCroix, a member of Doherty's first band, The Halifax Three.

The 62-year-old Phillips said she kept in regular touch with her ex-band mate and had spoken to him a day before he died.

"I really thought he was out of the woods and so did he."

Doherty's ego 'never got in the way'

Doherty's sister, Frances Arnold, recalled the first time their mother heard him on the radio. California Dreamin' had just hit the airwaves and she decided to call the local radio station to request it in order for their mother to hear it.

"She cried in the kitchen, and I cried with her. He was alive and on his way," said Arnold.

Phillips said it feels strange to be the last member of the band still alive. Phillips sang at the 2001 memorial service for her ex-husband, John Phillips, who was also the group's chief songwriter. Band mate Cass Elliot died in 1974 of a heart attack.

Michelle Phillips, the last surviving member of the Mamas and the Papas, attends Doherty's funeral at a Halifax church on Saturday.
(Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Phillips, who flew into Halifax on Thursday, said Doherty had special qualities. "He was very persuasive, very gentle and sweet.… There was nothing you wouldn't do for [him]."

A consummate performer, Doherty would continue to entertain, playing the harbour master on the children's television show Theodore Tugboat, acting in plays and television shows, and playing the main storyteller in The Needfire, a Canadian-Celtic musical performed at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto.

He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996.

"He worked and worked all the time. His ego never got in the way. He loved to work," said Phillips.

Most important, she said her friend would probably like to be remembered as a good husband and father.

Doherty is survived by his two daughters and son. His wife of 20 years, Jeannette, died in 1998 of cancer.