BB King will be laid to rest next week in the Mississippi Delta, where he made his name in the ‘40s.
The blues legend, who passed away in his sleep aged 89 last Thursday (May 14), will be buried in his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi. His body will be flown next Wednesday (May 27) to Memphis, Tennessee for an 11am musical tribute at W.C. Handy Park, before being driven to Indianola.
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That Friday (May 29), The BB King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola will host a public viewing from 10am to 5pm, with the funeral following on May 30 at 11am, at the nearby Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church. Billboard reports that King will be buried later that day in a private ceremony at the museum, which King helped develop.
Dion Brown, the facility’s director, said in a written statement: “”From a practical standpoint, we feel comfortable knowing his final resting place will receive perpetual care at the museum.”
King’s body will be displayed in an open casket in Las Vegas, where he lived at the time of his death, tomorrow (May 22).
His business agent, LaVerne Toney, says the viewing will be held from 3-7pm at Palm Mortuary West, Billboard reports. Mortuary manager Matthew Phillips says there won’t be a memorial service during the viewing.
The Rolling Stones paid tribute to the late blues guitarist during a Twitter Q&A with fans on Monday (May 18).
Jagger and co held their first-ever Q&A on the social networking site ahead next month’s re-release of their ‘Sticky Fingers’ LP. They were asked by fans for their memories of King.
“I was just looking at a picture of me and BB backstage at Madison Square Garden [in 1969],” Jagger told fans. “He played with us at a lot of gigs on that tour. We last played with him in a blues concert at the White House. It’s sad. He had such a huge, long career. It’s sad that we won’t be listening to him live anymore.”
Keith Richards finished by describing King as “one of the greats”, continuing, “BB was a great guy. He was one of the true gentlemen, and I shall miss him a lot. At least we have his records. Farewell, BB.”