A public memorial service for Charlie Kirk was scheduled to take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sept. 21, according to Turning Point USA.
“Join us in celebrating the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Charlie Kirk, an American legend,” the organization said in an X post on Sept. 13. The stadium is home to the Arizona Cardinals football team, who have an away game the day of the memorial against the San Francisco 49ers.
Doors were expected to open at 8 a.m., according to the organization, and the program was planned to begin at 11 a.m.
The outpouring of grief among his followers indicates that legions may want to attend a memorial service for Kirk. Numerous vigils have sprung up at Turning Point USA and Kirk’s home, and community memorials are planned in the coming days.
Kirk had built a conservative movement in the past decade that far outgrew the college campuses where it began.
He was fatally shot while speaking to thousands of college students at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He was 31.
Where is Charlie Kirk’s funeral?
Kirk’s funeral will take place in Arizona, where he lived with his wife, Erika, and two young children before his death.
Kirk frequently cited his Christian faith, which was expected to be incorporated into his services.
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, escorted Erika Kirk and Charlie Kirk’s casket back to Arizona on Sept. 11. His body was transported by Air Force Two from Salt Lake City, Utah to Phoenix.
A motorcade stood ready to escort his casket to Hansen Mortuary Chapel near Seventh Street and Northern Avenue.
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Who is attending Charlie Kirk’s funeral?
Trump told reporters he planned to attend the service in the Grand Canyon State. Trump said on Sept. 11 he believed services would be held in Arizona, and they would take place next weekend.
“Whenever it is, I’ll be going,” he told reporters.
“They’ve asked me to go and I think I have an obligation to do it,” Trump said before departing for a flight to New York. Trump said he had a long talk with Kirk’s wife who was “absolutely devastated.”
Vance was also expected to attend.
Erika Kirk, in her first public comments since her husband’s assassination, said his death would only ignite the movement he began.
“You have no idea the fire you have ignited within this wife,” she said. “The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.”
What was Charlie Kirk’s connection to Arizona?
Kirk grew up in Prospect Heights, Illinois, the son of a father who was an architect and a mother who was a mental health counselor.
Turning Point USA began in Illinois, but he moved its headquarters to Phoenix in 2019. He became a prominent voice in Arizona politics, offering his endorsement to candidates and shifting the state’s GOP grassroots to the right.
What is Turning Point USA?
Kirk’s Turning Point USA and affiliated organizations combined influencing, fundraising and grassroots organizing. They grew into a political force, supporting Trump’s return to power.
Beloved by the right for energizing a new wave of conservatives on college and high school campuses with a deft blend of policy chops and faith, he also was controversial for promoting views that the 2020 election was stolen and for his stance on COVID-19.
Among many smaller events across the nation, Turning Point was known for a signature conference in December dubbed AmericaFest, which drew speakers like Trump and thousands of student and adult attendees from around the country.
Erika Kirk, in her remarks Sept. 12, said those events would continue in memory of her late husband and his work.
Kirk was kicking off a fall tour of college campuses when he was killed at Utah Valley University.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Funeral arrangements for Charlie Kirk: What to know
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