LAS VEGAS (AP) — B.B. King drew a 45-second standing ovation amid reflections and remembrances about his life and legacy at a memorial for more than 350 family and friends in Las Vegas.
Eight of the blues legend's 11 adult children and more than 10 of his 35 grandchildren spoke during an intimate two-hour Saturday service marked more by laughter than sadness.
As granddaughter Landra Williams said, to everyone else King was a legend. To his family, he was love.
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Rock guitarists Carlos Santana and Richie Sambora attended.
But it was King's onstage drummer for 37 years, Tony Coleman, who provided a beat for the day.
He promised to go on playing blues with class, dignity and humanity — just like B.B. King taught him to do.