A Valletta councillor has called for a monument to be erected in honour of 'Carnival king' Paul Curmi as his family encouraged mourners at his funeral on Saturday to wear white or colourful clothing.

Curmi, best known as Pawlu l-Pampalun, a major presence in Malta’s carnival for decades, died on Wednesday at the age of 92.

As well as being a feature of the annual carnival - with his face used on the official 2021 poster - he was also a percussionist, dancer and woodworker.

PN councillor Mark Spiteri Lucas suggested building a monument so that his "memory will remain throughout the years".

In an email sent to his fellow councillors, Spiteri Lucas suggested that it be placed in Valletta’s Mandraggio.

His grandson, Clayton Caruana, asked mourners to wear white or colourful clothing at his funeral on Saturday, November 11, at 10am at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta.

His niece, Hilda Curmi, said that while the world of entertainment had lost another musician, she had lost a "special uncle, I can even say, another father."

Various carnival participants, artists and dance companies paid tribute to the Carnival icon, who was awarded the Ġieħ il-Belt award by the Valletta Council 10 years ago.

Nicknamed Il-Pampalun, a word used to describe a person who tops all others and is excellent in what they do, Curmi once revealed that the nickname stems from his childhood.

"In reality, I got the nickname from when I used to play football when I was younger. One time, I was playing and a boy said "he's a topper, he dribbles brilliantly," he told vsquaredmedia. "From that day on, the name stuck!"

Curmi spent countless hours at a warehouse located in the lower part of St.Elmo, where he would work tirelessly on large and colourful Carnival floats.

He described Carnival as "five days of having the time of your life" and said he remembers how children would crowd over him to take a photo of the famous Pampalun.

"When I die I wish to die during Carnival," he once said.