UPDATED

After the passing of Uncle Lionel Batiste on Sunday, July 8, friends and admirers were quick to organize memorials for the Treme Brass Band bass drummer, one of New Orleans’ most well-known and beloved men about town.

Uncle Lionel Batiste at the 2011 Bayou Steppers second line. Photo by Kim Welsh.

Tonight, the Treme Brass Band’s weekly Wednesday night gig at the Candlelight Lounge will be a tribute to Batiste. The show starts at 9 p.m. and will feature special guests.

An even bigger celebration of Uncle Lionel’s life will take place Friday, July 13, starting at 5 p.m. with a second line organized by the Batiste family that leads up to a benefit concert at Sweet Lorraine’s Jazz Club. The parade starts at 5 p.m. at Tuba Fats Square, the corner of St. Philip and N. Robertson, and will move down to N. Rampart, turn left and continue to Elysian Fields, then turn right until Royal, stopping at the Christopher Inn Apartments where Uncle Lionel lived. The parade then turns right on Frenchmen, continuing until St. Claude, where it turns left and disbands at Sweet Lorraine’s.

The benefit concert begins at 7 p.m. at Sweet Lorraine’s and will feature performances by Kermit Ruffins, Kid Merv, Michael Baptiste, Deacon John, Danon Smith and Michael Ward.

The Batiste family also established a memorial fund in Uncle Lionel Batiste’s name with Liberty Bank and Trust. Donations can be made at any Liberty Bank branch. For more info, call Glenda McKinley at (504) 915-1552.

Here’s a map of the full route for Uncle Lionel Batiste’s memorial second line.

UPDATE, 7/13/12, 11 a.m.: Uncle Lionel Batiste’s family has reported that he wished for people to wear all-white to his remembrances, instead of traditional black attire. If you’re going to the second line or benefit concert, it’s encouraged to honor Uncle Lionel’s impeccable sense of style.

Also, Uncle Lionel Batiste’s funeral arrangements have been set as well.