BYRON BAY was in mourning today as hundreds of friends and family gathered to say a final goodbye to a local ‘hero’, an ‘awesome bloke’ and a ‘fine young man’.

Twenty-year-old Ben Donohoe was tragically killed in a car accident in Byron Bay on Sunday when the car he was a passenger in collided with a tree on Bangalow Road.

It was a long, emotional day today for those who knew the popular Byron Bay local, with a paddle out in the morning and the funeral in the afternoon.

Among the locals was long-time friend and last year's Australian Idol winner Stan Walker who performed a cover of Leonard Cohen’s heart-wrenching song Hallelujah to an emotional crowd of almost 500 at Ben’s funeral.

This morning more than 400 grieving locals packed the beach at Broken Head as a pod of dolphins swam alongside about 200 boardriders who participated in the paddle out that was the ‘perfect send off for Ben’.

Read more:

Byron man, 20, killed in car crash

Byron mourns death of 'good bloke'

Red Devils perform for Ben

Devils win but with heavy hearts