Jazz Funeral for Percy M. Williams
He was Big Freedia's uncle
The family and friends of Percy M. Williams gathered at the Fifth African Baptist Church to say goodbye for the final time. Williams was the uncle of bounce superstar Big Freedia and the brother of Freedia’s mother Vera Johnson. The church also hosted Vera’s funeral, which was featured on a segment of Big Freedia’s reality television show on the Fuse network.
The Big 6 Brass Band, featuring trumpeter Chad Honore from the Rebirth Brass Band, played a medley of dirges as the pallbearers brought the body out of the church.
The procession headed uptown on S. Robertson Street, turned lake bound on Amelia Street before heading downtown on Magnolia Street. By the time we got to Washington Avenue, the band was playing uptempo music and everyone was dancing.
The cortege completed the procession on the corner of Washington Avenue and S. Claiborne Avenue. The band played one last dirge before launching into “Casanova” and everyone had one final dance and a last hug for Williams.
