BATON ROUGE - On Wednesday, former Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden lay in state in City Hall ahead of funeral services set for Thursday.

Kip Holden died at 72 years old on Wednesday. Since his passing, there has been an outpour of condolences and well-wishes from officials and leaders from around the state. 

A celebration of life for Holden was held Wednesday at 4 p.m. and emceed by Johnny Anderson, the director of faith-based and community outreach for Rep. Cleo Fields.

Baton Rouge politicians and community members including current Mayor-President Sid Edwards and former President of the Louisiana Senate John A. Alario Jr. went to Baton Rouge City Hall to reflect on Holden's life and legacy.

"It is very fitting that we welcome him back to his City Hall today for so many decisions were made by Mayor Kip Holden and his team, decisions that impact our lives even today," Mayor-President Sid Edwards said. 

"So we're not here today to mourn without hope, we are here to honor a life well lived. a leader who gave his all, and now rests from his labor. His legacy lives on in the communities he served and the people whose lives he touched," former Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said.

The legacy he leaves behind has impacted everyone, including Metro Council member Anthony Kenney, who not only grew up in the same neighborhood as Holden, but also attended both Scotlandville High and Southern University similar to Holden. 

"Being a son of Scotlandville, I can tell people if I had to think about a predecessor in my metro councilman that I really speak to, and I really looked up to it was Kip Holden, and his way to bring people together to be a unifier in the community," Kenney said. 

Former police chief under Kip Holden, Jeff LeDuff, says Holden would love the scene at his ceremony.

"To have our community people who work with him people serve with him at the City Hall to come out the way they did today he was sitting somewhere in here with his legs crossed in his hands and grinning his butt off" LeDuff said. 

His funeral is scheduled for Thursday, May 22, at 11 a.m. at Greater King David Baptist Church on Blount Road in Baton Rouge. Before the funeral, a visitation will be held from 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the church.