Sam Eastall was due to be Max’s best man at his wedding. Instead follows edited excerpts from Sam’s speech at Max’s funeral which took place on the 14th October in the Chapel at Brompton Cemetry, London:

“First of all can I say how pleased Max would be to see so many people missing work on his behalf.

And if he knew we were all off to the pub before lunchtime he’d be even more delighted.

Thanks to those of you who have travelled from the US, Hong Kong, Malaysia, all over the place - all of you who have had to cancel plans and make arrangements in order to be here, thank you. 

When asked by Suzanne and Jane to do a tribute to Max here today, I knew immediately that mere words could never possibly be a fitting tribute in themselves. I think going forward the greatest tribute to such a special man will be all of us having Max’s radiant smile in our minds eye so when things aren’t going well we can just see that reassuring smile willing us on. That’s perhaps more of a fitting tribute…

…To call Max outgoing would be an understatement. Or simply gregarious, caring, kind - any  adjective is woefully inadequate when it comes to paying tribute to Max…..

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…Max had the rare gift of not just being good at things in life but through his charm and abilities he made sure those around him felt that little bit happier for having him around….

…Over the last few weeks I’ve realised that it wasn’t just me who Max affected in such a deep way. The messages and stories I have heard have made me realise the far reaching impact of Max’s friendships with a huge number of people - even some who he had only met relatively briefly…

…Max was an extremely passionate man. He had no room for the mundane or the banal. His humour was second to none…

…It was that sense of the absurd that got us into trouble many times when we were meant to be taking things seriously..

…Max was a natural leader who was happy to take a back seat and see others flourish. He was one of the strongest people I have ever met but never used that strength against anyone. Well, not before giving several clear warnings anyway.. He was also a man of deep caring and huge generosity who never failed to help people regardless of his situation…

…Creativity was central to Max’s life in a variety of forms, its how he met and worked with a lot of us here today. He made it his mission to gather those around him, and with his incredible enthusiasm he would make sure they didn’t miss out on the joy he had found in whatever creative pursuit it happened to be… 

….Max was uninhibited, his scope for loving those around him was limitless and it is fantastic that, especially since meeting Jane, Max couldn’t have been surrounded by more key people who adored him. The great thing is, he knew it…

…In the last year or so, Max had never been in such a good place. His creativity was beginning to reap the deserved rewards ..

...To meet someone with his positivity, drive and sheer zest for life - I count myself extremely lucky. The wonderful thing about his life was not just the devastating charm and charisma he brought to every day, it is the simple fact that if that young 13 year old boy was able to see the man he eventually became - a huge grin would have spread over his cheeky little face and he would have been ecstatic.

Max, you led a unique life and I will always be proud of you.”