Caroline Aherne has been laid to rest in a private funeral service in the presence of close friends and family. The service was held at a church close to her home in Timperley, Greater Manchester.

The 52-year-old comedian died on July 2 alone at her bungalow. She had been battling cancer. The much-loved British star was best known for her role in the hit TV show The Royle Family and as the host of The Mrs Merton show.

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Caroline's brother, Patrick, paid an emotional tribute to his sister saying: "My heart is broken as I loved her so much. But she is now in a better place and most of all she has no pain. I have lost a beautiful sister and the world has lost an amazing talent."

TV producer Jeff Pope said today: "The funeral today of one of our greatest working class heroes. The world is a poorer place for the loss of the incomparable Caroline Aherne."

Aherne broke the news that her disease was terminal in May, but didn't update her family on her condition which suddenly deteriorated.

Following her death, the cast of The Royle Family paid touching tributes. Ralf Little, who played her onscreen brother Antony Royle in the popular TV series, said he was lost for words on hearing the news of her passing.

Ricky Tomlinson, who played her father in the hit BBC sitcom, described her as a "kind, funny, witty" person, who never complained about the hand she had been dealt. "She never talked about her health, ever. I can never ever remember her complaining," he said. "She must have gone through a lot but I never saw her looking unwell."

Former Oasis singer Noel Gallagher dedicated a song to the comedian during his US gig. The former Oasis singer who was a close friend of the TV star, had been informed of her death just hours before he was due on stage with his group High Flying Bands.

In an emotional performance, Noel told the 2,400 capacity crowd at Nashville's famous Ryman Auditorium: "I want to dedicate the next song to a friend of mine who died this afternoon. Her name was Caroline and she was a very very very funny woman."

The award-winning actress had battled cancer for most of her life, beating bladder and eye cancer. Two years ago she revealed that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

According to Mirror Online a memorial service is likely to take place at a later date enabling her friends in the entertainment industryto pay their final respects.