As each person released a white dove into the sky near the ocean, Bob Marley’s “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” played in the background.

It was the song playing on Gary Edgar’s iPod when he died on Wednesday in a hospital after a sudden bout with lung cancer. He was 45.
Friends and family came together on the shore in Newport Beach this morning to say goodbye to Gary Edgar, and more than a hundred went into the water for a traditional “paddleout,” where surfers form a circle, hold hands and remember their loved one.

“We’re just amazed and shocked at the support we have from all our friends,” Ron Edgar said. “This is indeed a sad day for all of us. … Personally, he was my guardian angel.”

Read more about the tribute here.

Surfboard with a picture of Gary Edgar and covered with flowers is shown during a paddleout memorial for Edgar, a pro surfer from the 80s who died of lung cancer at age 45. PHOTOS BY CARLOS DELGADO, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

People watch from the shore during a paddleout memorial for Gary Edgar, a pro surfer from the 80s who died of lung cancer at age 45, in Newport Beach, Calif., on Sunday

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