Bermuda will today bid farewell to local legend Johnny “Mr Happy” Barnes, whose funeral will be streamed live online this afternoon at johnnybarnes.net.

Mr Barnes, who spent decades greeting morning commuters with a smile and a wave from the Crow Lane roundabout, died in the early hours of Saturday, July 9, at the age of 93.

A tribute article posted by The Royal Gazette website went viral, reaching more than 155,000 online readers around the world, with 1,600 Facebook responses offering condolences and warm memories.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper published an obituary for Mr Barnes, describing him as a “familiar and beloved figure” in Bermuda.

Through his unique efforts to spread love, the Paget resident was honoured during his lifetime with a bronze statue, placed a stone’s throw from his roundabout, as well as a replica at the Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute in Ontario.

The subject of the 2011 short film Mr Happy Man, he also influenced the “iloveyouiloveyou” art project last year, in which stickers featuring his catchphrase were put up throughout London — as well as cropping up everywhere from Australia to China and Sri Lanka.

Wayne Caines, who attended the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Hamilton with Mr Barnes, said yesterday: “He was a local icon who gave selflessly to Bermuda and made many people happy.

“He will be missed by all in our community.”

Today’s funeral, organised by Mr Barnes’s family, will take place from 1pm at the Bermuda Institute Auditorium in Southampton, with relatives and friends invited to pay their respects at the venue between 11am and 12.50pm.

Instead of flowers, well-wishers can make donations to cancer care charity Pals and the Agape House hospice.