Memorial service for Nipsey Hussle to be held at Staples Center in L.A.
Nipsey Hussle's family will be honoring the late rapper by hosting a "Celebration of Life" memorial service at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday.
The two-hour celebration is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Pacific time, and doors to the arena will open at 8 a.m. There will be metal detectors screenings and bag checks to ensure public safety.
How to watch the Nispey Hussle "Celebration of Life"
- What: Nipsey Hussle "Celebration of Life" memorial service
- Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles
- Date: Thursday, April 11, 2019
- Time: 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET
- Live stream: Watch on ET Live or in the player above
- Follow: Live blog and online stream of the memorial service
Hussle's Instagram account announced the event in conjunction with the Staples Center earlier this week. Free tickets were made available on the Staples Center website, but all tickets for the event have since been distributed.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nipsey Hussle (@nipseyhussle) on
The stadium has a capacity of more than 20,000 seats. Recording devices and cameras will not be permitted by anyone in the audience, but a live stream will be available for those unable to attend. ET Online will live stream the entire event.
Following the memorial, a 25.5 mile funeral procession will travel from Staples Center through the South Central Los Angeles neighborhoods of Inglewood and Watts, before ending at Angelus Funeral Home in the Crenshaw district. Nipsey Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn cemetery.
Hussle was shot and killed outside his clothing store in South Los Angeles on March 31. Police have arrested 29-year-old Eric Holder and charged him with murder.
An outpouring of grief has spread through the Los Angeles community. Fans gathered around his clothing store for a vigil and artistic murals have appeared around Los Angeles to commemorate his life.
Aside from being a Grammy-nominated rapper and musician, Hussle was a fixture in the South Los Angeles community where he was born and raised. Last year, he opened a STEM center and co-working space called Vector 90 where young people could attend classes. He hoped to help bridge the gap between disadvantaged kids and Silicon Valley. Prior to his death, the 33-year-old had written a letter to the police commissioner expressing a willingness to hold a meeting about ways to reduce gang violence.