Fallen FDNY firefighter Patrick Brady was practically royalty in his seaside neighborhood — where thousands gathered Saturday to bid their tearful, final farewells to a native son dubbed the “King of the Rockaways.”

Brady, who died at age 42 after going into cardiac arrest while battling flames on the roof of a burning six-story Brownsville apartment building, was posthumously promoted to lieutenant during the funeral mass at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Belle Harbor.

Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker spoke of Brady’sincomparable love for his job and his beachside community, which turned out in droves to pay their respects.

“I’ve been awed this past week at the closeness of this community, in the ways that you all show up for each other, intertwining your families and lives in ways that, quite frankly, can’t be explained. Family, friends, faith, and at the center of all of that was Pat, the King of the Rockaways,” said Tucker.

Brady’s fun-loving spirit — and his apparent obsession with sharks — was inspiring, Tucker said.

“I encourage all of you to be like Pat: to start a group chat, to drink Irish coffee and to be a shark,” he said.

“And so, heeding my own advice, I want to do my first shark-like thing that we don’t do typically in the FDNY. It is out of a sense of great love, abundance of gratitude for all that Pat did for the FDNY, for the gift of Pat, that I posthumously promoted him to the rank of lieutenant in the FDNY,”  Tucker said as the crowd roared with applause.

Brady’s coffin was carried through Belle Harbor to the church on a fire truck in a procession that was led by the solemn beats of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums.

His weeping widow, Kara Yankay, was escorted into the church by two uniformed firefighters, along with Brady’s parents, Sue and Dennis, and two brothers, Jimmy and Brian — both also members of the FDNY.

At one point, Yankay was caught in a heartbreaking moment, kneeling to embrace one of the 11-year veteran’s beloved young nieces. After the emotional service, Tucker bestowed Brady’s cherished leatherhead, or helmet, to Yankay.

First Deputy Mayor Randy Maestro and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, were also in the crowd of thousands.

The Rev. Peter Purpura recalled how Brady “brought joy and laughter wherever he went,” and how his
”sense of humor was truly unforgettable.”

“Pat gave himself completely to save and to protect. He lived out his calling as a New York City firefighter with unwavering dedication,” Purpura said during his homily.

“On Monday morning, Mr. Brady shared the very moving message with Pat’s FDNY brothers, when he and Sue visited Watkins Street. He said, ‘I never worried when my boys went to work, because I always knew that they would be surrounded by guys to take care of them.’ ”

Battalion Chief Scott Coyne, the former Captain of Brady’s home at Ladder 120, spoke about Brady’s legacy in the firehouse as the “roof man” — a serious and dangerous senior position he was serving when he went into cardiac arrest.

“It is a position that touches everyone. And that is just what Pat did on that night and with his life. Nothing deterred him. Nothing held him up. Patrick made his position and Patrick touched everyone. He knew that everyone was relying on him in the end. Only a firefighter like Pat could manage such responsibility professionally. Nothing shall deter the roof,” said Coyne.

“Unfortunately, that night his heart stopped. And just like every other firefighter who was relieved after working at a fire, Patrick was relieved. But unlike that night, Patrick’s heart will always be alive and well. Beating harder than ever before. It is beating for all of us,” he continued.

“Whenever you look up. Never forget our forever roof, man. After all, if you live life right, dying young is not a problem.”

When he wasn’t responding to fires across the five boroughs, Brady was serving up the best drinks at a local pub and was known for creating dozens, if not hundreds, of group chats with his countless friends.

“Pat had so many friends and he made everyone feel like they were his best friend, because he had an inside joke for everybody,” said Bernadette Heeran, a lifelong pal who grew up on the same block as Brady.

Brady shamelessly loved parties, eating — several dishes of which she named as his favorites — the FDNY, spending time with friends and family, but nothing came close to the love he had for his wife, Yankay, she said.

Brady and Yankay once invited guests to what they said was Brady’s 40th birthday party in 2023 –and instead surprised the crowd with a wedding.

“It’s hard to imagine anyone squeezing more Pat out of Pat, but Kara certainly did. In Kara, Pat found the one,” Brady’s cousin, Peter Brady, said.

“Their April Fool’s wedding was a stunt only possible with the unwavering support of Pat’s true love.“

Brady is the 1,163rd member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty and the second this year.

FDNY paramedic and US Marine Corps veteran Salih Abdur Rahman, 46, died on Oct. 29 after finishing a shift at the FDNY Fire Academy on Randall’s Island, according to the department.