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Stompin’ Tom Connors’ funeral will put the public first

A public memorial for one of Canada's most beloved performers will be held today when Stompin' Tom Connors is laid to rest in Peterborough, Ont., an open and inviting memorial for a man known to cherish his Canadian supporters.

Appropriately, the singer perhaps most beloved for writing and performing "The Hockey Song" will have his funeral held in a hockey arena. It will be first-come, first-served seating in the 4,000-seat Memorial Centre.

It was one of Tom's final requests to have his funeral open to the public. Always the performer.

Stompin' Tom appeared set on going out in his own way. He broke the news of his own death, in a letter posthumously posted to his fan website.

[ Related: Stompin’ Tom Connors dies of natural causes at 77 ]

The letter begins:

Hello friends, I want all my fans, past, present, or future, to know that without you, there would have not been any Stompin' Tom.

It was a long hard bumpy road, but this great country kept me inspired with it's beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world.

And while the public petitioned for Connors to be laid to rest in a state funeral, this is the ceremony Connors would have wanted.

The Globe and Mail reports that Connors specifically selected the Peterborough hockey arena for his “celebration of life.” He earned the nickname “Stompin’ Tom” while performing in a Peterborough bar in 1967.

He also assembled his own playlist, selecting speakers and performers for the event.

CBC News reports that MP and former hockey player Ken Dryden will speak at the funeral, as will former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, who once presented him with the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, and Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett.

Musicians Dave Gunning, Sylvia Tyson and Rheostatics frontman Dave Bidini will be among the performers.

[ More Brew: Stomp on: Canada remembers Stompin’ Tom Connors ]

More names will surely be mixed in with the public, which he adored, in the Memorial Centre stands. He adored his fans so much, he has ensured they will not be without his music, even after death.

There are 10 Stompin’ Tom Connors records that have yet to be released to the public. Rockland Entertainment says his music will continue to be released worldwide, “and remain a legacy to his career, his life and his beloved country.”

More music, more stomping. More Canadiana. Just the way Stompin’ Tom Connors would have wanted it.