Takeoff remembered by thousands at celebration of life in Atlanta

ByMycah Hatfield KTRK logo
Friday, November 11, 2022
Migos rapper Takeoff remembered by fans at funeral in Atlanta after being murdered in downtown Houston
A final farewell took place in the rapper's hometown of Atlanta, where thousands got tickets to attend. Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in his murder.

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Thousands gathered to give Migos rapper, Takeoff a final farewell in his hometown of Atlanta after he was murdered in downtown Houston more than a week ago.

The celebration of life took place at State Farm Arena Friday morning and was open to Georgia residents who obtained tickets ahead of time. The arena posted that it had reached capacity.

SEE RELATED STORY: Who was Takeoff? A look into the Migos rapper's life and career before his shooting death in Houston

At the site of the murder in Houston, fans set up a memorial. Flowers, candles, photos, and artwork are outside 810 Billiards and Bowling, where the shooting happened.

'Let it S.L.I.D.E.,' a group from Baton Rouge, traveled to Houston after the rapper's death to share their message.

'S.L.I.D.E.' stands for 'Stop Letting Intense Drama Escalate.'

"The situation that transpired is exactly what we are trying to avoid," Timothy Morgan, who serves as the organization's president, said.

The group reaches out to the youth in their community to combat gun violence by providing life skills, employment, entrepreneurship, and more programs.

"We want to make it cool, " the program director, Laadonis Williams, said. "Instead of harming you, instead of fighting, instead of resulting in gun violence, I'm just going to let you slide. You wronged me. I wronged you. We are just going to part ways. We are just going to let it slide."

Meanwhile, the murder remains unsolved, and no arrests have been made.

The Houston Police Department had a press conference that day, asking people to come forward with information about what happened. Since then, there haven't been any major updates from the police, who continue to say it is an ongoing investigation.

SEE ALSO: Nurse shares what happened after Houston shooting that killed rapper Takeoff

Takeoff was 28 years old. He was the youngest and often known as the most laid-back member of the Grammy-nominated rap group.

"He was just really getting his flowers. Quavo has done solo albums, of course, Offset now has done a solo album, but he was just coming into his own. This is a big pain for the hip-hop community. ATL is hurting right now," Hall said.

Takeoff's family is asking that donations be made to The Rocket Foundation instead of flowers or gifts. It was created in his honor to support programs that help prevent gun violence.