6 July 2012 Last updated at 08:15 ET

Actor Brian Hibbard's funeral at Coychurch Crematorium

A memorial event was held in Penygraig, Rhondda, before a service in Bridgend

A memorial celebration for the late actor and singer Brian Hibbard has been held before his funeral.

Hibbard, born in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, died last month aged 65 after suffering from prostate cancer.

He rose to fame as the singer of the chart-topping Flying Pickets, before embarking on a career in acting.

The memorial event was at Valley Kids Soar Centre in Penygraig, Rhondda, before a service at Coychurch Crematorium in Bridgend.

Mourners then returned to Penygraig for a toast.

Tributes were paid to Hibbard from the showbusiness world following his death on 18 June.

His close friend and fellow actor Boyd Clack said he was a "fantastic actor, fantastic singer and fantastic man".

Hibbard came to prominence after forming the a cappella band Flying Pickets with a group of other actors who used to sing in a coach on the way to appearances.

Hibbard was a member of the a cappella band Flying Pickets in the 1980s

Their hit, Only You, took them to number one in the charts in 1983 for five weeks.

After a short attempt to launch another group with fellow Picket, Red Stripe, known as Brian and Stripe, Hibbard turned to acting, appearing in such shows a Making Out and The Bill.

He played Doug Murray in Coronation Street from 1992 to 1993 and went on to appear in other soaps, including Emmerdale as Bobby-John Downes and Johnny Mac in the long-running series Welsh language Pobol y Cwm, which is made by BBC Wales for S4C.

He also starred in the Welsh-language drama Pam Fi, Duw and took to the big screen for the Swansea-set Twin Town starring Rhys Ifans in 1997.

He was reunited with Ifans for the 2000 film Rancid Aluminium.

He also appeared in EastEnders, Doctors and Casualty, and was a stalwart of Welsh pantomimes in recent years.

Tributes were paid to Hibbard from the showbusiness world following his death on 18 June

Mr Clack said Hibbard had first been diagnosed with prostate cancer about 12 years ago but had only gone public with the news about four years ago.

His health deteriorated rapidly eight weeks ago and he was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where he died with his actress wife Caroline by his side.

The couple have three children, Lilly, Hafwen and Cai.