Celebration of Life: Nipsey Hussle's Memorial Service Expected to Draw Thousands
Today, thousands of friends, family and fans will fill the Staples Center to pay their respect to a man who has become a legend in his short time here on earth, Nipsey Hussle.
In what has been labeled as "A Celebration of Life" by organizers, the massive gathering for the late musician/entrepreneur/community advocate is set for 10 a.m PT. Tickets were made available free of charge to California residents earlier this week, and they were gone in 30 minutes. Those who weren’t able to get tickets have been asked by organizers not to come to the area of the Staples Center or L.A. Live as they will not be granted access and the event will not be shown on outdoor monitors.
But those who don't have tickets are welcome to show their respect to Hussle along the route of a procession that will be held after the memorial.
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Event details have been kept secret, including the names of the event’s speakers and participants.
Back Story. Hussle, whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom was murdered on March 31st at just 33-years-old in front of Marathon Clothing, one of several businesses he owned in his hometown South Los Angeles. Police arrested his killer, Eric Holder just days later on April 2nd and filed charges that included murder and attempted murder. He is currently being represented by attorney Chris Darden. Darden entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. If convicted, Holder would face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Staples Center accommodates about 21,000 people. The last time this venue was used for a memorial service was for Michael Jackson in July 2009.
The memorial is also being live streamed , allowing viewers from all over the world to gain access to the service and procession. Cable network BET announced it will broadcast the event and stream it on its website and Facebook Live. TIDAL also announced that fans can live stream the the memorial even if you aren’t a subscriber to the music streaming app. (see below)