Elly Strotton Tribute Onlinetributes.com.au

She loved art, music, leopard skin accessories and happy people who made her laugh.

She was addicted to Milo, handbags and MySpace, where she described herself as a "pretty easy person to get along with".

Hundreds of family and friends  gathered to farewell Elly Strotton, who was tragically killed in a car accident.

The Tweed woman was just 20 years old.

It is understood Elly was the passenger in a car being driven by a 19-year-old man which crashed on Old Coach Road, Reedy Creek, in the early hours of Sunday morning, April 6.

She was killed when the car hit a tree.

Family members asked those attending the funeral, at St Augustine''''s Catholic Church in Coolangatta, to theme themselves in purple, which was Elly''''s favourite colour.

As guests arrived, Green Day''''s Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) played throughout the church hall.

Elly''''s friends donned purple shirts and leopard skin accessories in honour of the self-confessed party girl who "loved life" and was "always up for a good time".

Elly, also known as Elz, grew up in Bilambil Heights with her parents John and Trish and her sister Jessi, 24. She was a former Palm Beach Currumbin High School student. Friends yesterday broke down in tears as they relayed their fond memories and funny stories of Elly to the 300-strong crowd who turned up to pay their respects.

Described as an infectious and vibrant person, Elly is said to have lived every day as if it was her last.

The crowd was reminded of her love of gold "bling" and Spiderman and visiting pubs, clubs and bars.

A letter read on behalf of Jessi described her sister''''s fondness for animals and unique taste in music, while other tributes told of a warm and funny person, a "big sister to people who weren''''t even related, a little sister and a best friend". A slideshow of photographs detailing Elly''''s short life, which played to the strains of Led Zeppelin''''s Stairway to Heaven, was presented to the emotional crowd.

Elly''''s pale purple coffin was later carried from the church and placed in a silver hearse, where mourners were invited to lay purple flowers.

She was farewelled with the release of a bunch of purple and gold balloons that flew high into the sky.