SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- One year after his death, INXS star Michael Hutchence was remembered Sunday by 250 fans and family at a small chapel in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde.
The chapel was packed with fans clutching flowers and cards as Hutchence's brother Rhett paid tribute, a friend read a poem, prayers were said and a solo saxophonist played.
Hutchence's partner, Paula Yates, their daughter Tiger Lily and fellow INXS band members did not attend the service. Yates and Tiger Lily, who remained in London Sunday, were invited to the ceremony but did not respond, Hutchence's father, Kel Hutchence, said.
Band members sent a wreath of flowers with a message that they had chosen to grieve in private. It was thought they attended a private memorial service with Hutchence's family earlier in the day.
After the 40-minute service, Kel Hutchence unveiled a memorial in the grounds of the Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium to mark the life of the singer who committed suicide in a Sydney hotel room last Nov. 22 at the age of 37.
``I just want to unveil this memorial and dedicate it to the memory of our beloved Michael,'' Kel Hutchence told fans and family. ``He was a good and loving man and an excellent musician.''
At the peak of his and Australian band INXS's musical success, 1987 album ``Kick'' sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.