Fans of late rap star Young Dolph will get an opportunity to pay their respects while celebrating his life and legacy at a public memorial scheduled to take place at FedEx Forum in Memphis on Dec. 16. The home of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, whom Dolph could often be seen supporting while performing at games or sitting in the front rows of the arena, FedEx Forum has a capacity of 19,000 people, making it an appropriate setting for what is sure to be a somber, yet monumental, event for the city.
News of the memorial was revealed by Memphis pastor Earle Fisher, who spoke at Dolph’s private funeral, which took place on Tuesday (Nov. 30). “With all of the pomp and circumstance that elected officials and civic leaders have put around this heinous murder, we could do something to bring the people who have been involved in this to accountability and justice a whole lot sooner,” said Fisher. “The reality is there is a body being buried just about every day in Shelby County, and often we have people who are in powerful positions that have created policies that make these bodies pile up.”
Following Dolph’s private memorial, which was held at the First Baptist Church Broad Avenue, his casket was transferred to Calvary Cemetery. In addition to the public memorial at FedEx Forum, the city of Memphis will be honoring Dolph by naming a street after him, per Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley. The ceremony for the unveiling is set to take place on Dec. 15 at an intersection near the Memphis Depot Industrial Park, the area where Dolph grew up in Castalia Heights in South Memphis.
Young Dolph was murdered in Memphis on Nov. 17 while in town for his annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway. He was 36 years old at the time of his death.