Followers mourn Billy Graham in his hometown of Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, Nc. — A hearse carrying the body of the Reverend Billy Graham left the pastor's North Carolina home where he died on Wednesday.

At the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, mourners gathered to pay their respects and honor his legacy.

“He brought a lot of people to faith and Christ. What a beautiful thing,” Clare Galvin, a follower of Graham said.

Channel 2 Action News is in Charlotte speaking to those impacted by Graham. Hear those stories on wsbtv.com and Channel 2 Action News This Morning.

A spokesperson for Graham says he had been in and out of awareness in recent months. Graham died in his sleep at his home near Asheville, with only one nurse by his side.

Graham’s body will lie in repose at the Billy Graham home place in Charlotte on Monday and Tuesday. The public is invited to attend.

A private, invitation-only funeral in front of the Billy Graham Library is on Friday, March 2 at noon. The service is to be held in a tent at the main parking lot.

“Honestly I think he was a really good man. He had a lot of impact and a lot of influence on people throughout his lifetime,” said Janice Sciarrotta, another Graham supporter.

Graham was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history. He reached more than 200-million people through his appearances and millions more through television and radio.

He called his revival campaigns "crusades" and he held them all over the world.

A Georgia pastor told us his life changed after he attended one of Graham's crusades in Atlanta nearly 25 years ago.

"When I saw the men and the women getting up when Billy Graham was simply saying come, I felt something different," said Nicholas Pepper, the lead pastor of New Salem Baptist Church in Kennesaw.

He showed us the program from that event at the Georgia Dome in 1994.

Pepper said the friend who invited him to that crusade is now his wife.

Cox Media Group