XXXTentacion to have six-hour, open-casket viewing at BB&T Center
A six-hour, open-casket viewing for South Florida rapper XXXTentacion is planned today at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, where large crowds of mourners are expected.
The chart-topping performer, 20, was shot and killed June 18 in an ambush by gunmen after he shopped at a Deerfield Beach motorcycle store.
The rapper, whose given name was Jahseh Onfroy, had strong ties to Broward County. He was born in Plantation, lived in Lauderhill and had settled in Parkland.
The rapper’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, invited fans to the viewing Saturday in an Instagram post.
“His mother wants to ensure his fans get the opportu-
nity to see him one last time,” said Solomon Sobande, the performer’s manager. “His fans were like family to him as well, and we want them to be able to say goodbye properly.”
During the viewing, which is scheduled from noon to 6 p.m., XXXTentacion’s body will be in an open casket that will be placed on a stage. Security guards will stand alongside, Sobande said.
Photographs of the artist will be displayed on the center’s big screens, but there will not be any sort of service during the viewing.
The manager expects many mourners to attend, and said the center “may fill to capacity.”
The BB&T Center is home to the NHL Florida Panthers hockey team and can hold about 20,000 people. Guests pass through metal detectors before attending games and concerts.
Fans and media will not be allowed to bring cameras, cellphones or other recording devices into the center, Sobande said.
Security staff at entrances will check for devices and will ask owners to store them in their cars before they can enter the center, organizers said.
“There will be a few cameramen inside, but they are our people who are recording this for our own purposes,” Sobande said.
Sobande said the funeral will be private.
The driver of an SUV was arrested Wednesday, accused of blocking XXXTentacion’s BMW outside the motorcycle dealership before masked gunmen shot the performer multiple times.
Though detectives don’t believe Dedrick Williams fired a gun at the rapper, his alleged role as the driver of the SUV led to him facing a premeditated murder charge, an arrest warrant said.
Williams, 22, of Pompano Beach, is being held without bond in Broward County’s main jail, in Fort Lauderdale. Other suspects remain at large.
The afternoon XXXTentacion was shot, paramedics took him to Broward Health North in Deerfield Beach, where he died.
Lawyer David Bogenschutz recently told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that he had advised the rapper to increase his personal security.
XXXTentacion’s brief career produced 16 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, with six songs reaching the top 40. The song “Sad” reached the No. 7 position in March. Three albums made Billboard’s 200 chart, including “?,” which reached the No. 1 spot in March.
Sales of his music have increased since the killing, and the rapper’s single “Sad!” moved up to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Fans have held several vigils at the killing scene, outside RIVA Motorsports at 3671 N. Dixie Highway.
The Sunrise Police Department will support the center’s security staff, Officer Christopher Piper said.
“We are anticipating a crowd, and preparing for a crowd,” Piper said.