Frank Sinatra, Ed Sheeran and Eva Cassidy edge out traditional church numbers at funerals

Hymns have fallen out of favour at funerals, a survey of the most requested songs reveals.

The top 10 contains no traditional hymns for the first time, Co-op Funeralcare found. Frank Sinatra’s My Way topped the chart, followed by Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, and Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy. The last time the list was compiled in 2016, it featured the hymns Abide With Me, The Lord is My Shepherd and All Things Bright and Beautiful.

But as more people request modern pop songs, new entries on this year’s chart include Ed Sheeran’s Supermarket Flowers and Westlife’s You Raise Me Up.Hymns have fallen out of favour at funerals, a survey of the most requested songs reveals.

Frank Sinatra’s My Way topped the chart, followed by Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, and Over The Rainbow by Eva Cassidy. Mr Sinatra is pictured

But as more people request modern pop songs, new entries on this year’s chart include Ed Sheeran’s Supermarket Flowers and Westlife’s You Raise Me Up. Ed Sheeran is pictured at BBC Music Biggest Weekend in 2018

The Co-op, which conducts up to 100,000 services a year, said more adults are telling their families what they want played.

Director of funerals David Collingwood said: ‘We’re always encouraging people to be more open about their funeral wishes, making it clear to their loved ones what they would want for themselves when the time comes.’

The top 10 also includes Angels by Robbie Williams, Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again and Eric Idle’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life from Monty Python’s Life of Bria