Others praised Bennett-Coverley's groundbreaking achievement of helping the Jamaican dialect gain acceptance around the world.
"Miss Lou, by refusing to give up her Jamaican dialect, convinced generations of Jamaicans that we didn't have to give up anything we created — including our dialect," Jamaican MP Olivia Grange told the crowd.
Bennett-Coverley lived in Toronto for about 25 years.
Known for world travels
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Bennett-Coverley studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , where she was the first black student to attend the famed British school.
A folklorist, singer, writer and performer, Bennett-Coverley's credits include appearances on British and Jamaican TV, movie roles, recordings and poetry collections.
She travelled the world telling stories, giving lectures and performing in Jamaican patois.
Eventually she was recognized as a cultural ambassador and praised for winning acceptance for Jamaica's oral tradition. She was named both a member of the Order of the British Empire and the Order of Jamaica.
"Today, we are standing even taller because of her work and because of who she was and the legacy she has left on this Earth," Jamaican Canadian Association president Sandra Carnegie-Douglas said at the Toronto memorial. At the funeral, officials announced plans for an Ontario tribute to Bennett-Coverley.
Her remains are to be returned home to Jamaica, where she will be buried with other national icons such as Marcus Garvey.
Bennett-Coverley, dubbed her country's "first lady of comedy," will be interred alongside her husband Eric (who died in 2002) in Kingston's National Heroes Park on Aug. 9, Jamaican Information Minister Colin Campbell said earlier this week.
