Thousands Remember B.B. King

INDIANOLA, Miss. (AP) – Blues guitarist Buddy Guy says he always intended to tour the B.B. King Museum while its namesake, his longtime friend, was still living.

The 78-year-old Guy was among more than 4,000 people who filed past King’s open casket at the museum Friday, the eve of the blues legend’s funeral in the Mississippi Delta.

“His left hand was a special effect,” Guy said, describing King’s talent for bending strings to make the guitar sing.

King was 89 when he died May 14 at his home in Las Vegas. A public viewing and invitation-only memorial service were held in that city before his body was flown to Memphis, Tennessee, for a tribute Wednesday.

He will be buried at B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi.