LONGTIME civil rights activist Al Sharpton spoke Thursday at the George Floyd memorial service in Minneapolis.

It is the first of at least three memorial services for Floyd, who died in police custody on Memorial Day.

Hollywood celebrities, musicians and the politically powerful attended the memorial in Minneapolis.

Here is more on the founder of the National Action Network.

Who is Al Sharpton and how old is he?

The 65-year-old Sharpton was born in Brooklyn on October 3, 1954.

He worked as a youth organizer in the 1970s and '80s and had close relationships with legendary singer James Brown and boxing promoter Don King.

He formed the National Action Network in 1991.

NAN "works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, criminal record, economic status, gender, gender expression, or sexuality," according to the group's website.

Sharpton has acted in support of many African Americans over the last few decades, including Floyd.

He helped Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant brutalized by cops in New York City in 1997, and he organized a large protest when NYPD cops shot Amadou Diallo 42 times in 1999.

Sharpton had also spoke for Tawana Brawley, who accused four white men of raping her in the late 1980s in upstate New York.

Investigators concluded that Brawley had not been a victim of a sexual assault and a prosecutor accused of being one of the assailants successfully sued her and her advisors – including Sharpton.

He is the author of three books, according to NAN, and was honored with the Mandela Legacy Hope, Success & Empowerment Award.

What did Al Sharpton say in his eulogy at George Floyd’s funeral?

Sharpton told the those in attendance in Minneapolis that Floyd "should not be among the deceased."

“He did not die of common health conditions," said Sharpton.

"He died of a common American criminal justice malfunction.

"He died because there has not been the corrective behavior that has taught this country that if you commit a crime, it does not matter if you wear blue jeans or a blue uniform you must pay for the crime you commit.”

He added: "When I looked this time and saw marchers, where in some cases young whites outnumber the blacks marching, I know that it's a different time… America – this is the time of dealing with accountability in the criminal justice system."

Sharpton says the reason black people couldn’t be who they dreamed of being is because “you had your knee on our necks.”

Floyd died when a police officer held his knee on the black man's neck for a period of time believed to be nearly nine minutes.

Sharpton added: “Get your knee off of our necks!”

The minister also called out President Trump for walking from the White House across the street as protests were going on in Washington so he could pose with a bible.

“We cannot use bibles as a prop,” Sharpton said.

“For those that have agendas that are not about justice, this family will not let you use George as a prop.”

What happened to George Floyd?

George Floyd was a 46-year-old dad who spent most of his life in his hometown of Houston, Texas. In a statement released by the Minneapolis Police Department, police officers responded to a report of a "forgery in progress".

Derek Chauvin and Tou Thao are two of the four Minnesota police officers who were at the scene when George Floyd was restrained. During Mr Floyd's arrest, officer Chauvin was seen kneeling on his neck and back.

Despite a number of pleas from Mr Floyd, the officer continued to pin him down. Floyd later died as a result.

Is Al Sharpton married?

Sharpton was married to Kathy Jordan to 2004.

He has two daughters – Dominique and Ashley.

He also has a grandson, Marcus Al Sharpton Bright.

What degree does Al Sharpton have?

Sharpton attended Brooklyn College for two years in the 1970s and has received many honorary doctorate degrees, according to NAN.

Reverend Sharpton was ordained as a Pentecostal minister when he was a child.

He was educated in the New York City public schools system.

How did Al Sharpton lose weight?

Sharpton lost a whopping 175 pounds.

He dropped from 305 pounds to 130, according to the New York Daily News.

And he did it without surgery or diet pills.

"I could take all the cartoons in the tabloid newspapers, but I couldn't take my daughter punching me in the belly and asking why I was so fat," Sharpton told the Daily News in 2014.

"That was my inspiration to lose the weight. And probably the last time anyone hurt my feelings."

He said he was able to lose about two pounds a week.

"I was absolutely content just doing the salad," he told the newspaper.

"As a kid who grew up chubby, I just marveled at the fact that I could be thin."

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