Geelong funeral farce: Singer-songwriter Chris Stefano dances next to coffin at farewell

A mother whose son died in horrific circumstances had to endure her funeral being brutally interrupted by a stranger who danced next to the coffin, cursed at mourners and interrupted speeches.

Ryan Bishop, who had long struggled with serious health problems, was 35 when he was last seen riding a scooter in Melton, on the outskirts of Melbourne. He was found dead five days later, on May 20.

His family planned a fitting farewell two weeks later at a chapel in Barrabool Hills, not far from where Mr Bishop grew up in Lara, about a 20-minute drive north of Geelong.

Shortly after the service began on June 5, chaos broke out when Chris Stefano, a local singer-songwriter who Bishop barely knew, showed up unexpectedly.

Bishop’s grieving mother, Leanne Giuffre, told Daily Mail Australia what happened next was “absolutely deplorable”.

The funeral began with a song chosen by Bishop’s partner of five years, Daniel: Here With Me by American electronic music producer Marshmello, performed by Scottish synthpop band Chvrches.

“That Chris walked to the front of the stage and started dancing and singing,” Ms. Giuffre said.

“It was like he was a performer at a concert. Everyone was looking around and thinking, ‘Who the hell is this person?'”

Mrs Giuffre said her daughter Rhiannon Priddle asked her if she had organised the performance, as the spectacle became even worse.

“He was walking down the middle of the aisle,” Ms. Giuffre said. “He was touching people.

“He was climbing on chairs and doing what they call sl*t-dropping – strippers do that kind of thing on stage. It was just unbelievable.”

Ms Giuffre said that when a photo montage of Mr Bishop was shown, Stefano “began shouting inappropriate things” and continued to swear. Mrs. Priddle stood to deliver her eulogy.

Somehow Mrs. Priddle managed to keep her composure and said to Stefano, “You and I can discuss this later, thank you.”

Next came a song Mrs. Priddle had chosen as a tribute to her brother: Give Me More by his favorite artist, Britney Spears.

“That Chris got up, walked to the stage and grabbed the microphone,” Ms. Giuffre said.

‘He walked over to a family member and tried to drag her onto the stage to try to dance. He danced up the aisle between the seats.

‘He was dancing and singing his heart out, like he was an artist. I was mortified.

“The undertaker came to me and said, ‘Do you want closure on this?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely.’

Ms Giuffre said that “a big, muscular guy” from Tuckers Funeral & Bereavement Service told Stefano he had to leave.

“When they got him outside, he said to the undertaker, ‘Can I get a can of Coke?'” she said. “It was shocking.

“I thought I would never have to have a funeral service for my son. For this person to do that at my son’s funeral was just plain disrespectful.

“I don’t know how he got there, but we found out he knew Ryan 10 or 12 years ago. Nobody knew who he was or what he was doing there.”

Ms Priddle said Stefano’s response to criticism of his bizarre behaviour was equally strange and insulting.

“He said, ‘I don’t give a damn what you think about me, I’m Chris Stefano,'” she said. “It’s like he thinks he’s untouchable.”

Mrs Priddle said of Stefano that ‘it almost looked like he was at a party’.

“He was laughing very inappropriately, there was no giggle here or there,” she said.

“You’d think you were at a comedy show, he was laughing like that. He was literally dancing on the backs of chars and slut-dropping.

“My niece is pregnant and he almost fell on top of her when he performed.”

Mr Bishop’s father was also present at the service, along with Mr Bishop’s two brothers.

“He was very lucky to get out of there without being whipped,” Priddle said.

“My other brothers and my father are not the kind of people who normally tolerate this kind of nonsense.”

Three weeks later, Ms Priddle was still so angry that she posted a summary of the events on the Geelong Name and Shame Facebook page.

The post was removed after it attracted nearly 300 comments, including one from Mr Bishop’s cousin, who hoped Stefano would never try to ruin someone else’s funeral.

“Ryan deserved so much better than this,” the cousin wrote.

“And you, Chris Stefano, took his life celebration to the extreme and made his special day all about you!”

Stefano, whose single Boundaries is available on Spotify, has spoken openly about his bipolar disorder in the past and describes himself as an advocate for mental health.

He is a superfan of Britney Spears and cites singers Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, George Michael and Olivia Newton-John as musical and personal inspirations.

“Remember my words, I’m going to be the next king of pop,” the obscure music maker told a Geelong publication in May.

Ms Priddle said Stefano, who was contacted by Daily Mail Australia, had made no attempt to contact her mother to apologise for his behaviour at the service.

“I’m speechless,” Mrs Priddle said. “He made a parody of my brother’s funeral. He’s just a very disrespectful person.”

“I think the worst part is that it was the only day my mother and I were left on earth with my brother and he took that with him into his own life.”

Relatives were still able to send off Mr Bishop in style by setting off 35 coloured smoke bombs – one for each year of his life – as his hearse was driven away from the chapel.

The details of his death are painful for the family and a report is being prepared for the coroner.

Mr Bishop suffered from type 1 diabetes, which led to peripheral neuropathy, a painful condition caused by nerve damage. He had been unable to work in recent years.

“He was always cheerful and happy,” Mrs. Giuffre said. “No matter what happened over the years.

“He was also a bit of a social butterfly. He liked it hard.”

Mr. Bishop’s ashes lie on a table in his mother’s front door. She welcomes them when she gets up in the morning, when she goes to bed, and when she goes to work as a nurse.

“Right now I feel a big void in my heart because he’s not here,” she said.

‘I struggle several times a day with the thought that I won’t get a phone call after all.

“He always loved me and I always loved him. And I still love him.”