A number of celebrities attended George Floyd's memorial service in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday.
A number of celebrities attended George Floyd's memorial service in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday, the first in a series of memorial services honoring his life.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Minneapolis man, died on Memorial Day after former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over eight minutes when he was arrested for suspicion of forgery outside a deli. Following his tragic death, protests have been happening nationwide as well as in numerous countries around the world to stop police brutality and systemic racism.
Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder. In addition, the three other Minneapolis police officers -- Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- who were also fired for their involvement in Floyd's death have been charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Floyd's memorial on Thursday was held at North Central University in Minneapolis. Among the celebrities in attendance were Kevin Hart, Ludacris, T.I., Tyrese Gibson, Tiffany Haddish, Master P and film producer Will Packer. Reverend Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III and Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar were also in attendance.
Reverend Al Sharpton gave the eulogy at the memorial and at one point, playfully called out Hart and Ludacris while talking about dealing with roaches growing up in Brownsville, New York.
"Now some of you rich Hollywood folk, Kevin Hart and Ludacris, don't know what roaches are," he cracked.
Later, he called out all the celebrities in attendance and asked them to stand, though he noted that both Hart and Haddish in particular did not want to call attention to their presence at the memorial. Sharpton also called on Haddish to come up onstage while everyone stood for eight minutes and 46 seconds -- the amount of time Floyd was on the ground before his death -- to honor his memory. Haddish broke down in tears onstage.
Memorial services will continue over the next few days in Raeford, North Carolina (the state where Floyd was born), and Houston, Texas, which he called home, as he and his family moved there when he was young.
Meanwhile, a number of celebrities have not only shown support for the protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, but have also taken to the streets to join the protests, including Keke Palmer, Michael B. Jordan, Nick Cannon, Ben Affleck, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Cole Sprouse and more. Watch the video below for more:
RELATED CONTENT:
