B.B. King death to be investigated as homicide

The death of blues guitar legend B.B. King this month will be investigated as a homicide, a Nevada coroner's office has announced.

King died at age 89 on May 14 in Las Vegas, where he kept his residence amid constant touring ended only last year.

Two of King's daughters have reported concerns that his death may have been related to foul play, Las Vegas media reported.

"Our coroner takes jurisdctn over #BBKing body, performs autopsy. Results:6-8wks min. Homicide investgtn w/ @LVMPD," the Clark County, Nevada coroner's office announced on Twittter, referring to the Las Vegas police department.

Given the timeframe for the autopsy, his funeral in his beloved Memphis has been postponed, local media reported.

Born in poverty and working cotton fields, Riley B. King mastered the guitar and entered the music business after traveling to Memphis and working for radio stations.

He became known as the Beale Street Blues Boy, which eventually earned him the monicker B.B. King.

For decades, King played shows almost every night, becoming the premier ambassador for the blues - the music genre that emerged from African American spirituals in the Deep South.

In Memphis, his longtime place of residence, The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened in 2008 to showcase artifacts from the legendary guitarist, as well as the cultural heritage of the Mississippi Delta.

His final resting place could turn the museum into even more of a tourist draw.

Elvis Presley was buried at his Graceland estate, which draws some 500,000 visitors a year and is by far the biggest tourist attraction in Memphis.