A private funeral for Clarence Clemons, with over 150 guests, family and friends, was held yesterday in Palm Beach, Florida, informs the Palm Beach Daily News. Amongst the guests were CC’s wife, Victoria, his four sons, three ex-wives, current and former E Street Band members, plus Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne. Bruce sang «Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out», in a slow acoustic version, while Jackson sang «You’re A Friend of Mine», with Bruce & The E Street Band.
Clarence had asked Victoria, his fifth wife, to scatter his ashes in a cherished spot in Hawaii. At the ceremony Springsteen remembered the first time he and the Big Man met in Asbury Park in 1971, and how Clarence “was a man of unconditional love, but his love came with a lot of conditions. He was a complex guy… an ongoing project. But when you were in his presence, it was like being in a sovereign nation”.
In New Jersey, governor Chris Christie ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on Thursday in honor of E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons «in special recognition of his contributions to the state, people, and culture of New Jersey». Meanwhile in Asbury Park many fans gathered at the legendary Stone Pony club to pay homage to Clarence.
Photographer Barbara Pyle has a Youtube videomontage as a tribute to Clarence, with many unreleased photos that she took during the 1975 Born to Run tour.