B.B. King viewing is Friday in Las Vegas; burial in Mississippi
Beloved blues pioneer B.B. King, who passed away last week in Las Vegas at the age of 89, will be laid to rest sometime next week in Mississippi. Although a private family funeral is slated to take place this weekend here in town, a public viewing is being held Friday at Palm South Jones Mortuary, 1600 S. Jones Blvd., from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to allow fans a chance to pay their last respects to the legendary music icon.
In interest of maintaining a sense of reverence for the proceedings, there will be no photography of any kind permitted inside the chapel, according to mortuary manager Matt Phillips.
“We really want the public to understand that this is an event offered by Mr. King’s family, by his representative, so that the public can say a last goodbye,” says Phillips. “We hope that they will respect the reverence of the event.”
Seating will not be provided. Members of the public will instead be escorted into the chapel in an orderly fashion and allowed to pay their respects.
Members of the media, meanwhile, will be asked to remain outside of the chapel, which has a capacity of 175.
A sizable turnout is expected, according to Phillips, who says he’s been fielding phone calls from folks from out of state, many of whom are making plans to travel to Las Vegas later this week for the viewing.
Those planning to attend should plan to arrive early, as long lines are expected leading into the chapel. Likewise, parking around the mortuary is rather limited.
“We expect hundreds, if not potentially a thousand people,” Phillips said. “We’re going to have some issues, probably, with parking.
“So we encourage people, if they do plan to be here, they need to arrive early, and they’ll probably be required to stand in line for a significant period of time.”
Contact reporter Dave Herrera at dherrera@reviewjournal.com.
