The funeral for a terminally-ill teenager whose meet-and-greet with WWE superstar John Cena made headlines will be held today, with guests asked to dress in ‘wiggly colours’ to farewell the ‘beautiful boy’.
Bryce McKiernan, 15, died last week after battling excruciating Kabuki syndrome, with his family taking to Facebook to say he had become ‘the brightest star in the sky’.
His funeral will be held in Geelong, Victoria this afternoon with guests asked to wear ‘wiggly colours’ – yellow, blue, red or purple – given his love of The Wiggles.
Bryce McKiernan, 15, died last week after a long battle with an excruciating terminal illness
Bryce’s funeral will be held today as family and friends celebrate the life of their ‘beautiful boy’
His family paid tribute to their ‘beautiful Bryce’ in a funeral notice.
‘The brightest star in our sky, smiling that beautiful smile, singing and dancing to The Wiggles and Bon Jovi, whilst cheering for your mighty Cats.
‘Your strength and that Christmas Finger you gave to all things tough will keep us going when we miss you. Shine bright.’
McKiernan was left speechless after his dying wish to meet Cena came true in July, with footage of him giving his American hero an emotional hug later going viral.
Bryce McKiernan (right), the terminally ill teenager whose meet-and-greet with WWE star John Cena (left) made headlines last month, has passed away after a long battle with illness
Bryce was left speechless after his dying wish to meet Cena came true in July, with footage of him giving the American an emotional hug later going viral
WWE wrestling superstar John Cena pictured in the ring after one of his matches
Cena, one of the biggest stars in world wrestling, had been touched by Bryce’s long battle with Kabuki syndrome and promised to meet him on his tour of Australia.
But just weeks after his dream came true, the 15-year-old’s family took to Facebook on Tuesday to share the sad news that he had become the ‘brightest star in the sky’.
Taking to the ‘Bryce’s Beat’ page on Tuesday evening, the teenager’s family posted a statement.
‘In the early hours of this morning our beautiful Bryce became the brightest star in the sky,’ the post read.
‘He is now resting peacefully with no pain. Please respect our privacy during this extremely difficult time while our family comes to terms with our loss.’
Just weeks earlier the teen was left lost for words when he ran into the arms of Cena for a loving embrace before the WWE star went on stage for a show.
‘Very nice to meet you. You know I’ve heard a lot about you especially in the last few weeks,’ Cena said to one of his biggest fans.
Clearly starstruck, young Bryce couldn’t get a word out when the Hollywood star started a conversation with him.
Just weeks after his dream came true, the 15-year-old’s family took to Facebook on Tuesday to share the sad news that he had gone to become the ‘brightest star in the sky’ (pictured)
The teenager was lost for words when he ran into the arms of the WWE star for a big hug
Clearly starstruck, young Bryce couldn’t get a word out when he met with the Hollywood star
The American wrestler fulfilled the sick boy’s final wish by meeting him before his show
Mother Stacey McKiernan (second from left) was moved to tears as she watched her son meet his long-time idol
‘I saw how excited you were. I was already excited but then I saw you were excited so I got like super excited,’ Cena continued.
Bryce couldn’t contain his excitement as Cena signed his shirt and hat.
And the teenager certainly stole the show when the wrestler introduced him up on stage in front of a packed Melbourne Convention Centre
‘He’s a stronger man than I’ll ever be,’ Cena said to the cheering crowd, The Geelong Advertiser reported.
The 15-year-old Geelong boy had been battling kabuki syndrome for most of his life
Meeting his idols: Bryce with My Kitchen Rules judges Manu Feildel and George Calombaris
Those attending Bryce’s funeral have been asked to dress in ‘wiggly colours’
‘He fights everyday and he does it all with a smile.’
Mother Stacey McKiernan was moved to tears as she watched her adoring son meet his long-time idol.
‘Even in the last week, he’d deteriorated in his health so this is everything because it makes him smile and it makes us smile,’ she told Sunrise after the meet-and-greet.
‘So seeing his face lost for words and… it was beautiful. He was happy and I love it.’