Funeral held for B.B. King in Indianola, Mississippi

B.B. King was laid to rest in Indianola, Mississippi on Saturday.

Family, friends and fans of the late singer and guitarist came together to honor and celebrate his life at the funeral.

According to NBC News, hundreds of people “filled” the Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church and paid their respects for the late singer. Those who could not get into the church watched a live broadcast of the services at the church’s fellowship hall.

Family members paid their respects to King’s open casket, which had an embroidered image of his beloved guitar Lucille inside, at the beginning of the service. His casket was then closed and covered with a beautiful arrangement of red roses.

On Friday, fans fled to Indianola to pay their respects to King and view his open bronze casket at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, as noted by The New York Times. The singer was laid out in a purple satin shirt and a floral tuxedo jacket next to a small collection of his guitars, including his Lucille.

The Grammy-winning blues legend died on May 15 at age 89 in his Las Vegas home. His had been declining in health since late last year after being hospitalized several times.

Democratic U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who was also a friend of King, read a letter from President Barack Obama.

"The blues has lost its king and America has lost a legend. No one worked harder than B.B. No one did more to spread the gospel of the blues,” Obama wrote. “He gets stuck in your head, he gets you moving, he gets you doing the things you probably shouldn't do — but will always be glad you did. B.B. may be gone but that thrill will be with us forever. And there's going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight."

Image courtesy of ACE/INFphoto.com