INDIANOLA, Mississippi (AP) – Hundreds of people filled a church in the Mississippi Delta for the funeral Saturday of B.B. King, who rose from sharecropper in the area’s flat cotton fields to worldwide fame as a blues singer and guitarist who influenced generations of entertainers.
King was 89 when he died May 14 in Las Vegas. At his request, his body was returned to his native Mississippi for a final homecoming.
Amid rain, about 500 people filled the sanctuary of Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church, a red brick structure that sits in a field off of B.B. King Road in Indianola.
More than 200 people who couldn’t get into the sanctuary watched a live broadcast of the funeral in the church’s fellowship hall, many waving hand-held fans with a black-and-white photo of a smiling King hugging his black electric guitar, Lucille.
At the beginning of the service, family members filed past King’s open casket, which had an image of Lucille embroidered on the padded white cloth inside the lid. Later, the casket was closed and covered with a large arrangement of red roses.
The Rev Herron Wilson, who delivered the eulogy, said King proved that people could triumph over difficult circumstances.
“Hands that once picked cotton would someday pick guitar strings on a national and international stage. Amazing,” Wilson said.
Country singer Marty Stuart said King created a musical legacy for the home state they share.
“As a fellow Mississippian, I’m so proud to stand in his shadow as I walk across the world,” Stuart said.
