There will be a memorial service for Steve McNair in Nashville today with as many as 5,500 people in the Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
Fans and friends of the former NFL quarterback can attend a visitation from 3:45-6 p.m. CT, with a memorial service to follow at 7 p.m. local time.
Bishop Joseph Walker III said the ceremony will focus on celebrating McNair's live, not the circumstances of his death.
"Eulogizing Steve McNair is a mammoth task," Walker told the Tennessean. "He wasn't just a parishioner but a friend, a dear, dear friend. It's incredibly difficult, because obviously you have to work through your own grief and offer aid and comfort to others."
Police said McNair's shooting death on Saturday was part of a murder-suicide orchestrated by his 20-year-old mistress, Sahel Kazemi.
Walker said he has been comforting McNair's wife, Mechelle, and the couple's four sons. He was with his wife when she got word that McNair had died.
"It was just a moment that I'll never forget," Walker said. "It was unreal, but I thank God that I was there, and I could be there for her."
It's unknown if McNair's casket will be open during the memorial service.
"Mr. McNair looks as good as he does in any picture that you may have ever seen of him," funeral director Richard Lewis told the Tennessean. "I can assure you that he looks completely and totally normal."
Contributing: Janell Ross of the Tennessean. The Tennessean is owned by Gannett, parent company of USA TODAY
