Takeoff funeral: Drake and Justin Bieber honour memory of ‘forever balanced’ Migos rapper

Drake and Justin Bieber were among the stars that paid tribute to Takeoff at his funeral in Atlanta on Friday (11 November).

Takeoff’s uncle Quavo and cousin Offset – who co-founded the Grammy-nominated hip-hop trio Migos with the slain musician in 200 – were also in attendance.

The rapper was fatally shot outside a bowling alley during a private party in Houston, Texas on 1 November. He was 28.

No arrests have been made so far.

Earlier this week, it was reported that an event commemorating Takeoff was scheduled to be held at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Friday at noon.

Free tickets were made available for Georgia residents via Ticketmaster.

The “Celebration of Life” ceremony was reportedly attended by Takeoff’s fans, friends, and family, including Cardi B, Cee-Lo Green, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty.

While Bieber, Yolanda Adams and Chloe Bailey all performed at the service, Drake honoured “forever balanced” Takeoff’s legacy in a speech.

He also compared himself and the Migos singers to The Rat Pack, comprising Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford, as per a TMZ report.

The “One Dance” singer postponed a concert in New York in order to attend the funeral, after details of the service were announced.

While attendees weren’t permitted to use their phones at the funeral, a snippet of Drake’s eulogy was shared on Twitter.

Addressing the gathering in Atlanta, Quavo reportedly said: “You always made sure I did it first so you could do it right with me.

“You never competed with me. We was always on the same team, ‘cause you hated playing against me ‘cause I always played too hard or too rough,” the singer said, in a video posted on Twitter.

Cardi B, who is married to Offset, was also present at the ceremony. During the funeral, Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens honoured Takeoff with a civilian award, as per the Daily Mail.

In the press release for Takeoff’s “Celebration of Life” event, the rapper’s family asked that attendees donate to the Rocket Foundation, in lieu of bringing flowers or gifts.

The foundation, which was set up in honour of Takeoff, aims to support programs using community-based solutions to stop gun violence.

On Thursday (3 November), new details around the young rapper’s death were made public.

According to the coroner’s report, Takeoff – real name Kirsnick Khari Ball – was shot several times and the cause of death was listed as “penetrating gunshot wounds”.

Houston police chief Troy Finner has since called on witnesses to “step up” with information about the shooting.

Since the tragic news of his death, numerous celebrities celebrated Takeoff’s life and legacy in tribute posts online.