Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart were among the celebrities who attended George Floyd’s emotional memorial service.
The memorial, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Frank J Lindquist Sanctuary at North Central University, was the first of three public services for Floyd, who died after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Along with Floyd’s family and his fiancee Courtney Ross, other stars in attendance included Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, T.I., Will Packer and Master P.
Civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III were also present.
Hollywood star Haddish wiped away her tears during the event, before joining Sharpton on stage during an eight-minute, 46-second silence for Floyd, who died aged 46.
‘I know why George was calling for momma,’ he said during his speech. ‘Maybe he was calling his momma because at the point he was dying, she was stretching his hands out, saying, “Come on George, I welcome you where the wicked will cease from troubling, where the weary will be at rest. There’s a place where police won’t put knees on your neck, George.”‘
A mural of Floyd was projected above his golden coffin, while mourners paid their respects.
The unlawful death of the security guard sparked protests in all 50 states, with New Zealand, the UK, Canada, Germany and many more countries joining in to demand justice for the Black Lives Matter movement.
A second memorial service for Floyd will be held on 6 June in Raeford, North Carolina, the state where he was born.
A private service, which former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to attend, is being held on 9 June in Minneapolis.
Floyd’s family has accepted boxing star Floyd Mayweather’s generous offer to pay the costs of all the memorials.
His brother, Philonise Floyd, also spoke and said he was in awe over the movement that his brother’s death sparked.
‘All these people came to see my brother. That’s amazing to me that he touched so many people’s hearts because he touched our hearts,’ he said.
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