XXXTentacion murder: Memorial for rapper shot dead to be held at 20,000-seat arena in Florida

Service will feature open-casket viewing

A public memorial for the late rapper XXXTentacion will be held at a 20,000 seat arena in Florida.

The 20-year-old rising young star - whose real name was Jaseh Onfroy - was shot dead in an apparent attempted robbery in Fort Lauderdale last Monday.

XXXTentacion was leaving a motorbike dealership’s car park in his luxury BMW electric car when he was attacked.

Dedrick D Williams, a 22-year-old suspect, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with murder.

The flyer for the memorial, which has been shared on XXXTentacion’s Instagram page, urges fans to bid their final farewells at what is referred to as the "fan memorial" on Wednesday.

The service will feature an open-casket viewing. It was unclear whether those wishing to attend would be charged for entry.

“Come and say your goodbye on Wednesday June 27th 2018 at Florida Panther’s Stadium from 12pm to 6pm,” reads the poster.

“Fans come out and say your final goodbyes. It will be your last chance to see him,” adds a caption on the Instagram page.

Fans have been warned mobile phones and cameras will not be allowed at the event.

"Any person found with any device of the sort will be immediately turned around at gate or escorted out and will not be permitted on the premises," states the flyer.

It is not yet clear when Onfroy's funeral will take place and whether that will be a private service or open to fans.

The late rapper’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, revealed on Thursday that her son was expecting a child with his girlfriend, who remains unnamed.

“He left us a final gift,” Ms Bernard wrote on Instagram where she posted an ultrasound photo.

XXXTentacion’s musical career was dominated by controversy and he was often labelled one of the most controversial contemporary rappers. He was facing domestic violence charges against his pregnant girlfriend - to which he had pleaded not guilty.

In October 2016, XXXTentacion was arrested and later charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering. He was facing 15 felony charges at the time of his death.

He was sent to a youth detention centre for gun possession charges at the age of 16. In 2016, he was arrested and charged with robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

In 2016, XXXTentacion was accused of homophobia after using a YouTube podcast No Jumper to recount a story of choking and severely beating a prison mate he suspected was gay while they both were housed in a juvenile detention centre.

XXXTentacion, who first found fame via uploading songs to online audio distribution platform SoundCloud, garnered a loyal following due to his emotion lyrics that addressed his suicidal thoughts and experiences with depression. In March, he secured a number one album in the US with his second release ? and had a top 10 hit with "Sad!" in the same month.

In one video on social media, he said: “If worse things come to worse, I f***ing die a tragic death or some s***, and I'm not able to see out my dreams, I at least want to know that the kids perceive my message and were able to make something of themselves.”

He continued later: "I appreciate and love all of you and I believe in you all; do not let your depression make you, do not let your body define your soul, let your soul define your body. Your mind is limitless... you are worth more than you can believe."

Hundreds of people, including XXXTentacion's mother, assembled near where the rapper was killed in Deerfield Beach to pay tribute to him last Tuesday.