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Etta James honored at Inglewood Cemetery memorial
Etta James performed at the 2009 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.
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Rick Diamond/Getty Images
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Fans, friends and family gathered to honor legendary blueswoman Etta James at Inglewood Cemetery on Friday, January 27th, 2012.
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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/KPCC
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Etta James’s fans lined Manchester Boulevard Friday for a public viewing of the late blues singer at Inglewood Park Cemetery.
The first people in line arrived almost three hours before the viewing. Most of those in line were women. Some brought their own chairs. They chatted, made made friends, and shared their favorite Etta James songs and stories. Latashira Hudspeth, a new fan, came with her grandmother.
"I seen Cadillac records and I liked Beyonce in it," Hudspeth laughed. "That’s when I first heard the songs."
People shuffled into the mortuary under the glow of the Friday night sunset. In the entrance, a banner with James’ picture welcomed her fans while, at the exit, speakers blared her songs.
Etta James will be buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, also the final resting place for Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald.
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