Proof’s Viewing Attracts More Than 4,000, Funeral Draws Early Crowd

 •  XXL Magazine  •  by XXL Staff  •  45 Comments

Proof4.jpgPolice estimate that more than 4,000 people assembled to pay respects to D12 MC Proof yesterday (April 18) at his public viewing at Detroit’s Fellowship Chapel. The Detroit Free Press reported that the rapper’s body was placed inside a gold-toned casket with his birth name, Deshaun D. Holton, etched at the bottom in English script. He will be laid to rest wearing his usual athletic warm-up suit and Kangol hat. On Monday (April 17), Proof’s family and famous friends assembled for a private viewing. Proof died after being involved in a shootout last Tuesday (April 11), which also left 35-year-old Keith Bender dead.

Today’s (April 19) funeral for Proof began at 11 a.m., but crowds started gathering outside the Fellowship Chapel around 8 a.m. A 14-page program was handed out to mourners, which included photos and testimonials about the late MC. Sixteen people were listed as pallbearers, including Proof’s manager Mark Hicks. Others were listed as honorary pallbearers, including Eminem, the remaining D12 members and Proof’s cousin Trick Trick. Proof’s body will be laid to rest at the Woodlawn Cemetery.

  • KIN

    Rest In Peace Proof! I wish you could’ve done more for hip hop.

  • Green

    R.I.P

  • http://dirtythug.com Creepflow

    Much respect and R.I.P. May you rest now,you were real homie.Peace!

  • MasivaMC aka Tha Po’ Boy

    To one of the maddest MC’s to bless the mic…R.I.P. Proof…You were a funny mufuka man…Condolences to your family and of course D12…May our love be forever in your heart my nigga.,.Much Love!!

  • MasivaMC aka Tha Po’ Boy

    From all the illest crew’s in Australia, Proof, May your soul Rest In Peace….Our hearts are with you forever..We send our condolences to your Family and of Course D12!!!…You were one of the many good MC’s to grab the mic man…

  • NEXUS

    Big ups to a great man!

  • Rammy

    Proof was a great leader and a great rapper and he deserved more, and its sad to see him die. R.I.P homie, we will miss you.

  • Blakout

    it’s sad to see anybody die, but shit happens. a lot of people forget to mention that he pistol whipped somebody and shot him in the face at point blank range. So if your so quick to take somebody else’s life why should anybody value yours? The dude that he shot died today and I ain’t seen no post talkin’ about him being the greatest sargeant or whatever he was. My point is just because he was a rapper (a mediocre rapper at that), does that make his life worth more than the nigga that he killed, or the nigga who got shot down the street from you or the old lady who died in her sleep last night? No, people should wake up and jump off of dead rappers dicks.

  • http://www.ananzi.co.za PHONY YAYO

    RIP-GGG-UNOT

  • F8L

    man….rest in peace nuffin but luv 4 ya brotha c ya at tha gates man INCREASE THA PEACE

  • LD

    Big Proof may your soul rest in eternal peace.

  • Rich

    How can he wear a hat if he got his thick skull blown off his shoulders?

  • http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AusarsPlace The God

    death is always sad..although i think he got what he deserved its still sad

  • BK4LIFE

    Man, dude at the top has no compassion. Dudes like him is the reason mad brothers won’t see their grands. yes, it’s sad for both brothers. But disrespcting the dead, rapper or not wont help. For thoes who care and would like to get to the root of why we hate each other look up the brother Neely fuller. PEACE my brothers please start to read..

  • sandra

    first of all none of us was there when it happened so who the hell are you to say he got what he deserved. i don’t believe proof shot first because 3 of the bullets entered his back and the back of his head, which meant that his back was turned when the dude killed him. BUT one bullet entered his chest, which meant that he was also shot from the front. which means that someone shot him while he was face to face with him. i believe bender shot him first, then proof shot back, then Bender’s cousin finished the job. how do we actually know proof shot first?.another man was arrested, but we have’nt heard anything from him or any of the people proof was with. the story of him shooting first came from Bender’s lawyer and witnesses who were also associates of Bender and his cousin. All of this is coming from Bender’s side. REMEMBER now, not all witnesses tell the truth. WHY do you think so many people are in jail for perjury?… and notice that MOST of the articles say proof “ALLEGEDY” shot the man. and the story keeps changing. there are at least 8 versions of what happened. so how do you know what’s true?

  • tianna

    i agree with sandra. none of us was there. so why are we jumping to conclusions? and i’ve read and heard so many different stories. i don’t know what to believe anymore. all this is the result of sloppy police work and irresponsible journalism. proof and keith’s legacy is all fucked up

  • http://www.streetkingkennels.com/ Street King

    R.I.P

  • Bre

    R.I.P PROOF… if you dont have something nice to say dont say it!

  • Bre

    R.I.P PROOF… if you dont have something nice to say dont say nothing at all!

  • Illusion

    Blakout, is your neighbor an entertainer, is Bender an entertainer? No, so of course it’s not blown up. Proof was an icon, he was on TV and on the radio. Bender was just another war veteran. I’ve been born in raised in the “D”. Proof gave inspiration to a lot of ni99as out here, if it wasn’t for him a lot of cats wouldn’t have stepped up. If it wasn’t for Proof, I wouldn’t have probably had the inspiration. Do you know anything about the Hip Hop Shop. I grew up four blocks from the Hip Hop Shop which Proof managed, that was the only store that brought Hip Hop to tha hood. That’s the first time I ever saw hip hop artist in the hood, just chillin’. Wu was in there like every other month. Proof didn’t start the Hip Hop Shop, but he was the man you saw there whenever you went. You can’t say sh!t unless you lived here. And Rich, you just an ignorant ass ni99a that need his a$$ beat. RIP Proof……at least the D got love for ya.

  • MsJrabbit

    I agree with Blakout, i don’t think hes trying to say don’t mourn for the brother. I think he just meant that a lot of people put more value on a “rappers” life then that old lady who got beat to death around the corner, or the lil boy who got shot at school. I mean, really, Dead rappers Tees are a fashion statement now. Proof has given people inspiration I’m sure, but so has my 5th grade teacher. People are so quick to say R.I.P Proof, and blah blah, but truth is, he is just a rapper.Yes,it is a trajedy that he lost his life, its fucked up, And altho there are diffent stories out there, It doesn’t change the fact that Proof had a gun, and he made a bad decision. And let me say, that I am in no way belittling Proofs death.

  • lil’d

    man ya need to quit saying bad things about proof and why would somebody say some shit about how can he wear a hat when he got his thick skull blown off his sholders ya ned to quit talkin like that who ever said that shit man rest in peace proof forever in our hearts love you!!!!!!!!!!!!

    proof forever!!!!!!!

  • teeq(romania)

    Rest in peace! he will be missed, a great loss for hip-hop!

  • GFUNK

    R.I.P Proof
    I agree with Blakout also. No disrespect but if my man was in the position that the bouncer was in i would emptied the clip on ‘em too. Proof killed someone and so he was killed, sad but that shit’ll happen

  • http://therealhottshitwithoutwe lord e ruck

    eternal proof

  • leo

    R.I.P Proof
    FUCK EVERYONE TALKING SHIT! Proof had 5 kids and a wife. And now that’s 5 more little black kid growing up without a father. and of course he had a gun on him, hes a rich rapper in the hood,and label mate obie trust just got shot in the head, so why wouldnt he carry a gun?

  • http://yahoo micradots7 a.k.a dotsy a.k.a james doherty ,from dublin ireland

    proof ill miss ya man, when i first heard d12 you and bizarre were the 1s who stood out apart from eminem the most,and id love to get the punchestown gig on d.v.d as i was right at the top ive little memories but i can remember you enjoying your irish concert experience you are a legend ,teres been a lot of young gun crimes in this country recently 2 but buddy does hateing and fighting do anything for young people? god bless u and if i ever make it you will be up tere with the hip-hop legends who gave me inspiration big proof 1973-2006 r.i.p

  • sheila

    you don’t know shit about the story, so don’t act like you do. Why are you wasting your time posting if only to be disrespectful? You don’t know the truth, you just know what you heard or read, which has since been disputed and refuted.
    only proof and bender know the truth. we don’t know cause we was’nt there. so stop jumping to conclusions. do you even know for a fact if proof shot first or not? and if he did do you know why? how do you know bender did’nt shoot first but missed? maybe he shot proof first and proof shot back. how do you know they did’nt have a lot to drink ? anything could have happened that night. no body knows. the police are still investigating. we was’nt there. neither was the media. so please keep quiet until the truth comes out.

  • mario

    we’ll never know what really happened. let’s just let these men rest in peace.

  • sheila

    you don’t know jack about the story, so don’t act like you do. Why are you wasting your time posting if only to be disrespectful? You don’t know the truth, you just know what you heard or read, which has since been disputed and refuted.
    only proof and bender know the truth. we don’t know cause we was’nt there. so stop jumping to conclusions. do you even know for a fact if proof shot first or not? and if he did do you know why? how do you know bender did’nt shoot first but missed? maybe he shot proof first and proof shot back. how do you know they did’nt have a lot to drink ? anything could have happened that night. no body knows. the police are still investigating. so please keep quiet until the truth comes out.

  • kelly

    sorry i neva got to c u in slane sep 04.. wlda loved to experincence d12 live R.I.P

  • lil kez

    i dunno how ne1 can hate on a dead man, its wrong, yanno, i dont wanna belive proof is dead, d12 aint d12 widout him! much luv to his family n of course da resta d12

  • Christina

    How the FUCK r u gonna go nd say some shit that he deserved it? Now see thats somethin tht will piss ppl off. For anyone who heard the story, all yall know, Proof did fire first, but he aint kill no fuckin body. Juss cuzz he was carring around a gun, dont mean he deserved it. Yeah, they was arguin.. so fuckin what, he’s famous. All famous heads gotta carry some pretection, cuzz if some shit like this pops off.. nah mean. Too bad Proof was the one who died, but, still, he had a right to have a gun. Well, at least i think he did. Anyone who says Proof deserved wut he got is on some shit nd u need to re-think, not everyone deserves to die.. espcially someone like Proof. Same wit Tupac, nd Biggie. Well, i dont care much for Biggie, but Tupac. Come on now. Can’t nobody top him. The good die young, Proof has proven tht tht statment is true. Anyone dissagree… holla at me. ChristinaMathersx0@yahoo.com
    RIP Deshuan Holton AKA Proof
    October 2nd, 1973-April 11th, 2006.

  • duloc

    yaeh mann that bender ni99er fuck’d up, at least yu cats now get wat happens wen yu cant dance coz yu gat a pistol in yo ass. yu’ll get bustad
    PROOF RIP bt yo music will live on bro yu r an icon l think yu shld wax him in Detroit

  • roe roe

    you will be missed proof… i love you always…one love

  • Kid Rock

    All of you ignorant ass niggas need to shut the fuck up. Two men died and we got straight up assholes talking shit like they’re something. Stop taling shit and get a second job.

    R.I.P to all our fallen brothers

  • pinky

    proof thats what goes arround comes arround r.i.p real gangstar.

  • RAMMY

    Proof was a great guy. He was funny and a talented rapper and he deserved a lot more than he had. R.I.P

  • m-eezy

    fuck proof and d-12 bunch of bitches anybody want it come holla at me

  • John

    I holla at you u fuckin bitch. Show some godamn resoect u fuckin faggot. I’ll kill u u stupid ass. What kind of name is M-EEzy that is the gayest fuckin thing ive ever heard. I’ll find out where u live bitch and murder your ass.

  • Dicen

    Rest in Peace Proof. He didnt deserve dat shit! he wus a good guy, its to bad dat god had to take him….REST In Peace Proof you will Be Missed Always and Forever

  • http://xxlmag.com SUPER313

    R.I.P Proof real detroit nigga
    will be missed deeply

  • JoNnY_BlAzEd

    R.I.P
    From the streets of T.Dot much respect to one of the most lyricaly dope MCs. R.I.P

  • http://www.myspace.com/35entertainment DonJuan

    RIP

  • http://hotmail.com live life to the fullest

    R.I.P proof