Family and friends have remembered the policeman from Inverness, who was murdered in London where he had worked as a member of the Metropolitan Police for 30 years.
Gordon Semple was described as a "thoroughly decent human being" at the memorial gathering in a hotel in the Highland capital.
He had been reported missing in April and thousands of people joined a Facebook group to help search for him. His decomposed remains were discovered after a neighbour alerted Scotland Yard to a "smell of death" coming from a housing estate flat.
Italian born Stefano Brizzi, 49, has been charged with strangling then dismembering the 59-year-old after meeting him through a gay dating website.
When his death was confirmed a joint statement was issued by the victim's brother Ronnie and partner Gary Meeks. They described him as "a much loved partner, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and cousin" and added "our world will be a worse place without him".
Guests attending the memorial event in Inverness this week were asked to wear bright colours, in memory of him. Ronnie Semple, an Inverness taxi driver, said he hoped it was how his brother would have wanted it "a very happy occasion, like the police funeral in London, which was overwhelming."
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP David Stewart, first met Mr Semple at Inverness High School in 1968, wrote a eulogy.
Mr Stewart, who previously served as a Labour MP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, said he was proud to call him his friend.
He recalled a trip they organised to Hampden to watch Scotland qualify for the 1974 World Cup."Gordon had rounded-up other school pals, booked the train and the match tickets. Of course, that was Gordon, always organising and arranging for others.The match result sent us 'over the moon' and they 'gave us 110%' - as they say in football parlance - and we crawled back to Inverness railway station at five in the morning.
"I am not sure that any of us made school the next morning and I don't remember getting into trouble for it."
He said they had kept in touch when Gordon came home to see his family in Inverness.
"When I was elected to Westminster in 1997, I invited Gordon to the Commons. By that time he was in the Met and it was great to catch up with him and talk about what our former school pals were now doing."
Mr Stewart said: "He will be greatly missed as a family member, a friend and work colleague - a loved partner, brother, uncle and friend to many."
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