Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
BB King to be laid to rest next week in Mississippi Delta
BB King
News
May 19, 2015

BB King to be laid to rest next week in Mississippi Delta

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The body of blues legend BB King will return next week to the Mississippi Delta where his life and career began.

His body will be flown on Wednesday to Memphis, Tennessee, the place where a young King was nicknamed the Beale Street Blues Boy. It is expected to arrive at the airport at about noon, and will be driven in a procession to Handy Park on Beale Street, where a tribute will be held that day.

After that, King’s body will be driven to Indianola, Mississippi, which King considered his hometown.

A public viewing will be from 10 am-5 pm May 29 at the BB King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, and the funeral will be at 11 a.m. May 30 at the nearby Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church, the museum announced Wednesday. The 15-time Grammy winner will be buried later that day in a private ceremony at the museum, which King helped develop.

“From a practical standpoint, we feel comfortable knowing his final resting place will receive perpetual care at the museum,” the facility’s director, Dion Brown, said in a written statement Wednesday.

In Las Vegas, where King died May 14 at age 89, a public viewing will be held 3-7 pm Friday at Palm Mortuary West. Visitors will be able pass King’s open casket, but there won’t be seating or a memorial service during the viewing, mortuary manager Matthew Phillips said. A private service for relatives will be at 11 am Saturday at the larger downtown Palm Mortuary chapel

The famed guitarist and singer was married twice and had 15 natural and adopted children.

He was born Riley B King on Sept. 16, 1925, to sharecropper parents in Berclair, Mississippi, near the tiny town of Itta Bena. His parents divorced when he was young. His mother died a few years later, and then his grandmother died, leaving him living alone in a cabin and sharecropping an acre of cotton when he was 14.

After living in several small communities in Mississippi, he moved to Indianola, where he first gained attention for his musical talents.

He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was in his 20s, and that’s where a radio station manager dubbed him the Beale Street Blues Boy. That was shortened to BB, and the nickname stuck. King went on to international fame playing electric blues guitar that influenced generations of blues and rock musicians.

In the statement announcing King’s funeral plans, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant called the bluesman “one of our state’s most beloved native sons.”

Related Story :

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Jahvillani and Dai Julio drop ‘Code Switch’ single
Entertainment, Latest News
Jahvillani and Dai Julio drop ‘Code Switch’ single
September 10, 2026
Fast-rising dancehall producer Dalton "Dai Julio" Phang is emerging as one of the new producers to watch in 2026 as he has been churning out new sound...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
The Sports Girlie takes youth development tour into Season 3
Latest News, News
The Sports Girlie takes youth development tour into Season 3
September 10, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Sports Girlie is taking its national tour into a third season with a broader focus on what it means to prepare young athletes ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
High-risk, lottery scamming gang member killed — police
Latest News, News
High-risk, lottery scamming gang member killed — police
September 10, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — An alleged lottery scammer was shot dead and a firearm seized during a police operation on Oliver Road in Rockfort, Kingston 2, Th...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
‘Seniors can have fun’: Charles Jr urges older Jamaicans to stay active, register with NCSC
Latest News, News
‘Seniors can have fun’: Charles Jr urges older Jamaicans to stay active, register with NCSC
September 10, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr is encouraging Jamaica’s senior citizens to remain active, engaged and c...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Legendary KC footballer Trevor ‘Jumpy’ Harris has died
Latest News, Sports
Legendary KC footballer Trevor ‘Jumpy’ Harris has died
September 10, 2026
Legendary Kingston College footballer Trevor “Jumpy” Harris has died. Harris, who played on arguably the greatest schoolboy football team in 1964 and ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Reconstruction of Over River Bridge continues with resilience upgrades
Latest News, News
Reconstruction of Over River Bridge continues with resilience upgrades
September 10, 2026
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Work is continuing on the Over River Bridge in St James East Central, with design changes being made to improve the structure’s re...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Fitz-Henley hails 60 per cent decline in murders since 2017
Latest News, News
Fitz-Henley hails 60 per cent decline in murders since 2017
September 10, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, is hailing the work of the security forces and the G...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Privy Council introduces free visa process for parties attending London appeals
Latest News, News
Privy Council introduces free visa process for parties attending London appeals
September 10, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Commonwealth citizens travelling to London to attend Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) proceedings can now access a f...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer", "breaking-news":"Push Notifications"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct