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Elder Bernice King, daughter of the Kings, began the final eulogy at 5:13 p.m. in an electric blue suit. "I'm just here to celebrate," she said. "I don't have to say a word."
Gospel king Bebe Winans at 5 p.m. did a roof-ripping version of "Stand," followed by an intro to Bernice King by Andrew Young. The cameras panned the King family, looking worn out and understandably devastated, as CeCe Winans sang an elegant "He's Concerned" at 5:12 p.m. She did a 1970s gospel classic "Fill Me Up Lord" before Bernice King spoke.
Bishop T.D. Jakes took the pulpit at 4:30 p.m., with the funeral roughly at the four-hour mark. He compared Mrs. King to Sarah, Abraham's wife in the Old Testament, for having "her own faith and her own tenacity."
He also said that even after she suffered a stroke and was in declining health, he was surprised at how strong she was.
"I came expecting to see someone really ill. But she was polished, her nails were done, her hair was in place and she was just serving it up," said Jakes, whose MegaFest Christian gathering has become an Atlanta tradition.
Stevie Wonder, in signature sunglasses and cornrows, sang "His Eye is on the Sparrow," at 3:40 p.m and at 4:05 p.m., Michael Bolton, a close friend of Mrs. King's, performed a song he wrote for her, "The Courage in Your Eyes."
Although many addressed Mrs. King's public or historical role, some eulogies were strictly personal. She was "my sister, my friend, my confidante," said her sister-in-law, Christine King Farris, who spoke at 4 p.m.
"She began as my brother's wife," Ms. Farris said, "but years of sharing and triumphs, mountains and valleys, joy and sorrow, made Coretta as close to me as any blood sister could be. I will miss my sister-in-law, but I will try to carry on."
Judge William Sessions, a former director of the FBI, told of receiving an invitation from Mrs. King to come to Atlanta in 1987 to be part of the official King birthday celebration. Given the long and well-documented persecution of Dr. King by the FBI in the...