THE funeral of the Scottish artist John Bellany will be held at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh next week.
Bellany, an acclaimed painter who is considered one of the greatest post-war artists, will be remembered at the service on Tuesday, his family have confirmed.
Bellany died last week at his home in England after a long period of ill health.
The family hope that they can drive the artist's coffin from his home town of Port Seton in East Lothian, taking in his much-loved harbour, before proceeding to the capital.
The works of Bellany, who was 71, adorn the walls of art galleries the world over, but he had faced a formidable list of health problems in recent years.
In 2005, his life was saved through the intervention of a passing nurse when he collapsed in the street.
He had suffered a heart attack while heading towards the Mitchell Library, where an exhibition of his work was about to open.
For eight months up to then he had been virtually housebound in the flat he then shared in Edinburgh with his wife Helen, after a prolonged bout of pneumonia.
Three years ago it was revealed he was suffering from the condition macular degeneration, which causes loss of central vision, making faces hard to recognise.
As an alcoholic, he was forced to become teetotal after a liver transplant in 1988. He was known for often dark and nightmarish paintings, as well as works inspired by his fishing-village background - he was born in Port Seton in 1942 into a family of fishermen and boat builders.
His works, which feature fish, demonic sea birds, and religious symbols, hang in the National Gallery, the Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The church has been one of Edinburgh's religious focal points for approximately 900 years. The present church dates from the late 14th century, though it was extensively restored in the 19th century, and is protected as a category A listed building.
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