Rodney King's Family Needs Money For Funeral Costs

Losing a beloved family member is always extremely difficult, but the stress is compounded if the grieving are forced to scramble to find the money for burial costs. Unfortunately for those closest to Rodney King, that’s exactly the position they are in.

The construction worker first rose to prominence in 1991 after he was pulled over following a high speed chase and was savagely beaten by LAPD officers. Footage of the traumatizing incident was played over-and-over around the world, and it ultimately led to a trial and six days of rioting after none of the police officers were convicted. The city of Los Angeles later paid King almost four million dollars to avoid a civil trial, but unfortunately, he lost much of that money thanks to some bad investments, further legal problems and hard partying. At the time of his death, he was reportedly broke.

According to TMZ, King’s daughters have set up a memorial fund for donations in order to properly bury their father. They’re hoping to get about twenty thousand dollars, but since their plea just happened, it’s unclear whether the public will respond.

Very few people had as big of an impact on society as Rodney King. His case alerted the general public to police brutality and caused the LAPD to reexamine many of its own practices. Despite the rioting of which he was not a part of, he still ultimately played a positive role in society. More importantly, he was loved by those who knew him best.

Pop Blend’s thoughts go out to King’s family during this difficult time.