Michael Brown, the 18-year-old whose police shooting in a Missouri town sparked nationwide protests together with a debate about race and law enforcement, is being laid to rest.
Thousands of mourners attended Monday's public funeral in a St Louis Baptist church, many singing, clapping and dancing to gospel music.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and three White House aides were expected to pay their respects.
From the world of entertainment, musician Sean Combs, also known as P Diddy, and filmmaker Spike Lee joined the service.
Lesley McSpadden at the funeral for her son, Michael Brown Brown's great uncle, pastor Charles Ewing, was delivering a eulogy at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church.
Civil rights leaders Reverend Jesse Jackson and Reverend Al Sharpton also attended.
The St Louis Cardinals baseball cap Mr Brown was wearing when he was killed was laid on top of his closed black-and-gold coffin.
The teenager is to be buried in a private ceremony.
Thousands attended the service His August 9 shooting by a white police officer in Ferguson, a predominantly black St Louis suburb, has sparked days of sometimes violent protests.
Outside the church, Travis Jackson, a black, 25-year-old retail employee, told Reuters news agency: "I had to be here.
"After all the emotions and pain of the past two weeks, this is an important moment for this community."
Mr Brown's father appealed for calm on the eve of the service.
People pay their respects at a makeshift memorial where Michael Brown died Michael Brown Sr said: "All I want tomorrow is peace while we lay our son to rest.
"Please, that's all I ask."
Mr Brown Sr, speaking before hundreds of people on Sunday at an event in St Louis' largest city park, was joined by the parents of Trayvon Martin, a Florida teenager shot dead in 2012.
Mr Sharpton echoed his sentiments.
Accounts differ wildly of Michael Brown's shooting by Officer Darren Wilson "We don't want anything tomorrow that will defile Michael Brown's name," he said.
"This is not about our rage tomorrow. It's about the legacy and memory of his son."
In Ferguson, police and demonstrators have clashed on and off for more than a week.
Authorities have come under fire for mass arrests and the use of heavy-handed tactics and military gear.
An exchange of views at a weekend rally in support of Officer Darren Wilson On Sunday evening, only a handful of people gathered at the site of the recent protests, greatly outnumbered by a visible but unobtrusive police force.
Mr Brown's family hope the funeral will provide the opportunity to refocus attention on their son.
Family and friends say Mr Brown was an aspiring rapper with a gentle, joking manner who dubbed himself Big Mike.
He liked computer games, Lil Wayne, Drake, the movie Grown Ups 2, and the TV show Family Guy.
A grand jury is being convened to decide whether the officer who fired the shots, Darren Wilson, will face charges. The process could take until mid-October.
Mr Brown was unarmed after leaving a store where police say he stole a box of cigars when he was shot multiple times.
Police say the shooting was the result of a scuffle, but there have been claims Mr Brown was trying to surrender when shot.
Officer Wilson's supporters, who held a demonstration in his support on Saturday, are continuing to raise funds for him.
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