Overview
- Jerome "Big Duck" Smith died on Aug. 21 at age 87 after a battle with cancer, his family and local outlets said.
- A public visitation at Gallier Hall on Friday drew hundreds of mourners and city leaders who paid respects to the longtime activist.
- On Saturday a funeral at the Mahalia Jackson Theater preceded a Roots of Music–led second-line procession to Hunter's Field and interment at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3.
- Family members said local businesses and community donors covered funeral expenses, services were livestreamed on Tamborine & Fan’s Instagram, and the NOPD restricted street parking during the visitation.
- Smith was a Freedom Rider and CORE member who confronted U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in 1963 and co-founded the youth group Tamborine & Fan in 1968, a legacy that attendees and officials pledged to sustain for future generations.