Family and close friends will gather in Houston on Tuesday for the funeral of George Floyd, two weeks after he died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
The private funeral will take place at The Fountain of Praise Church at 11 a.m. local time. The service will also be live-streamed, said La’Torria Lemon, spokeswoman for Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center, the funeral home where Floyd’s visitation took place Monday. Thousands attended the visitation.
Tuesday’s service will be limited to 500 people.
Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is handling all the expenses for Floyd’s funeral, Lemon said in a news release.
Floyd was born in North Carolina, where hundreds of people lined up Saturday for a public viewing of his casket. He graduated from Jack Yates High School in Houston in 1992, where he helped the football team win the state title. He also played basketball there, Lemon said.
Before moving to Minneapolis, Floyd was well known in the Houston music scene, rapping with a group called Screwed Up Clik (SUC).
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and actor Jamie Foxx are among those expected at the funeral, Lemon said.
Floyd died May 25 after former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest.
Chauvin has been fired and charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers on scene were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Floyd’s death sparked protests in the US and around the world, which have called for changes in policing and law enforcement’s relationship with black and brown communities.
On Monday, thousands of mourners gathered at The Fountain of Praise church to pay their respects to Floyd. The memorial was the third stop in a series of events to celebrate his life.
Floyd was a huge role model for a lot of people, his brother, Philonise Floyd, said during Monday’s visitation ceremony.
“He was the first person who everybody looked up to in our neighborhood because he was the first one to get a scholarship to go and play basketball or football when he wanted to do,” Philonise Floyd said.
Floyd was someone who also had a beautiful soul, his younger brother, Rodney Floyd, said.
“If he was told he would have to sacrifice his life to bring the world together, and knowing him, I know he would’ve did it,” Rodney Floyd said.
He added that he’s still processing the death. “It seems unreal because, you know, every day is like waiting on that phone call. I’m still calling his phone number.”