Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning said goodbye to his last surviving brother on the Gold Coast on Saturday, two days after the birth of his second child.
Ed Fanning, 48, died in late March on the African island of Madagascar, where he had worked as a surfing coach.
The shocking news followed the 2015 deaths of Mick’s older brother Peter, and another brother, Sean, who died in a car crash in Coolangatta in 1998, when the future three-time world champion was just 17.
Hundreds of people, including other surfing legends, were at Greenmount Surf Club on Saturday morning to celebrate Ed, who died from an infected cut.
On Thursday, Mick’s partner Breeana had a baby girl, a sister of their three-year-old son Xander.
Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning (pictured) said goodbye to his last surviving brother on Saturday, two days after the birth of his second child
Hundreds of people (pictured) turned out at Greenmount Beach Surf Club on the Gold Coast to celebrate the life of Ed Fanning
Mick Fanning (centre) is pictured with his mother Liz Osborne (left) at a memorial service for Ed Fanning
Mick Fanning is pictured getting a hug from a fellow surfer at Greenmount Beach
Ed Fanning was remembered as a larrikin with a ‘heart of gold’ and inspired Mick to become a surfer.
“Ed was so passionate about surfing that all we brothers could do was follow him to the beach to see for ourselves,” Mick told the agency, as reported in the Courier mail.
‘Getting your first taste of the ocean in Coffs Harbor (where the brothers first surfed) was truly life-changing.
“Ed had a dream to become a professional surfer with his best friends.”
Mick told a story of how Ed had played air guitar at a school concert, mimicking the 1985 Dire Straits song Money for Nothing.
He joked that the song’s lyrics, “money for nothing and your girls for free,” became Ed’s theme song throughout his life.
Ed regularly raided Mick’s wardrobe and boardroom for free clothes and surfboards, he said.
Mick said his brother loved a beer and he always feared that one day he would get a call telling him Ed had drank “his last schooner.”
That call came last month, but Mick said Ed was in his “happy place” in Madagascar after moving there in 2020 to teach surfing to locals and tourists alike.
The Fanning brothers’ mother, Liz Osborne, spoke about Ed’s love for the Wests Tigers NRL team and how much he hated losing surf heats.
She also recalled how, when he was on welfare at one point, he referred to it as a member of then-federal Treasurer Paul Keating’s “surf team.”
Mrs Osborne said Ed and his partner had adopted a little girl called Jelly Baby, who had previously lived in poor conditions.
“Next week I’m going back to see where my son is buried, in his happy place, surrounded by so much love,” she said.
The photo shows a man holding a memorial that was handed out during Saturday’s service
Hundreds of people were at the Greenmount Surf Club Saturday morning to celebrate Ed Fanning, who died from an infected cut
Mick Fanning and other surfers are pictured at a memorial for his brother Ed
Mick Fanning (front photo) prepares to take to the water in tribute to his late brother Ed
Aboriginal dancers (pictured) were part of the ceremony on Saturday morning