Although it’s been almost two weeks since the legendary Bishop Walter Hawkins died and less than a week since a public tribute and funeral were held for him, Oaklanders and gospel fans around the globe are still feeling the impact of his loss.

Hawkins succumbed to his battle with cancer on July 11 at his home in Ripon, California. At the time of his death, Hawkins was the pastor of Love Center Church in Oakland.

“I lost my brother, my pastor and my best friend,” his brother Edwin Hawkins said. “Bishop Hawkins suffered bravely, but now he will suffer no more, and he will be greatly missed.”

Bishop Hawkins leaves behind a rich gospel music history that has influenced gospel music lovers and artists everywhere. He had tremendous success with the Love Center Choir through his Love Alive series, which collectively sold more than a million copies from the 70s through the 90s. Hit gospel songs such as “What Is This,” “Going Up Yonder,” “Thank You Lord,” “Changed,” “The Potter’s House” and "I Love Jesus More" have forever changed the course of gospel music history. Hawkins earned nine Grammy Award nominations throughout his career and received a Grammy for the CD “The Lord’s Prayer.”

On Tuesday, July 20, some of the biggest names in gospel music were in town at the Paramount Theater for a rousing gospel musicfest honoring the man whose gospel songs are being sung around the world.  The widely requested gospel favorite, “Oh, Happy Day” – recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers – became one of the first gospel songs to cross over onto mainstream music charts and was part of the celebration.

The program, hosted by BeBe Winans, Marvin Winans and BET great, Dr. Bobby Jones, featured two hours of praise and rockin’ gospel that had most everyone in the audience on their feet the entire time. The opening selections were performed by his beloved Love Center Choir who had considerable success with their "Love Alive" series of recordings, which sold well over a million copies from the 1970s through the 1990s. "Love Alive IV", released in 1990, was No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel album charts, where it stayed for 33 weeks.

More than 3,000 members of the church going community along with pastors, preachers and evangelists representing more that 160 church from across the country came to pay their respects at the four-hour funeral service Wednesday morning. Condolences from President and First Lady Obama along with numerous proclamations and citations were read. Those in attendance included his former wife and gospel great Tramaine Hawkins who received an apology from the family for leaving during her emotional tribute to Bishop Hawkins at the concert the previous night. The Reverend Jesse Jackson told the huge crowd that the “greatness” of his life couldn’t be contained by the grave.

Pastor Larry Coleman of Restored Life Ministries in Springfield, Ohio, reminded everyone that it was Bishop Hawkins’ deep desire to see all of the clergy and churches in Oakland come together to pray and develop real solutions to the violence that plagues the city. He went on to talk about the time when he found himself in trouble spiritually while addicted to crack. It was Walter Hawkins that personally prayed him through it at his house in Oakland.

Also in attendance was Oakland Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan who was visibly moved, as so many others were, by the tributes and the power of the music and lyrics of Bishop Walter Hawkins. The tremendous impact on the world of gospel music will be missed, but not forgotten, as his spirit lives on through his work and his songs.

Visit the Love Center Ministries website to learn more about a televised tribute to Bishop Walter Hawkins on Sunday, July 25.