Rodney King memorial service set for Saturday

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NBC Los Angeles – Rodney King’s family is holding a memorial service Saturday afternoon at the Forest Lawn Hall in Hollywood Hills and asking for donations to help fund King’s funeral, expected to cost $22,000, his family said in a statement.

King was the centerpiece of a 1991 police beating that catapulted him into the public eye.

A year later, four police officers were acquitted of the beatings, igniting the most volatile riots in United States history. At least 53 people died in the riots, expected to have cost about $1 billion in property damage.

The events triggered King to make a public plea when he asked his legendary question, “Can we get along?”

King was awarded $3.9 million in a settlement from the city of Los Angeles.

Publicist Kali Bowyer said the family is asking for donations toward King’s funeral because the money went quickly, as King had to support his children and grandchildren.

The bulk of the cost is covered, but the family needs help in covering the cost of flowers, programs and unpaid bills, said Bowyer.

King, a reportedly avid swimmer, was found dead by his fiancée at the bottom of his swimming pool in Rialto on June 17. He was 47 years old.

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