The head of a traveller family was buried in a solid gold coffin in South London.
Frank Thompson died aged 69 of a chest infection on July 2.
His family spared no expense in giving him ‘the best possible send off’, including a tour of areas he worked and owned businesses including Manchester and Nottingham in a Rolls Royce.
Mr Thompson’s farewell trip also took him past cemeteries where his friends and family were laid to rest.
Over the next year, a large marble tomb will be built around his gold coffin.
A family friend revealed that the six-figure sum coffin was so ornate it took over a month to arrive after Mr Thompson died.
They said: ‘The casket is solid gold.
‘His son ordered it from abroad. The cost was stupendous – six figures.
‘It took weeks to arrive. He’d passed away for nearly a month before we could lay him to rest.’
The friend added that the family had decided to do such an elaborate send-off in order to demonstrate that travellers are not ‘all about fighting and causing trouble’.
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But they added Mr Thompson himself was not an extravagant man and had ‘a heart of gold’.
‘He was never a flash man, believe it or not. He could have anything he wanted but he’s not flash. He’d be proud of what his sons did for him, and held him as, more than anything else.’
Mr Thompson is survived by his wife and children. His farewell tour started on July 23, before he was finally laid to rest on July 29.
The businessman started out as a door-to-door driveway salesman, eventually growing his company internationally.
He also donated money to children’s charities, and wanted to build an orphanage for children abroad before he became ill, his friend said.
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