Public viewing, tribute planned in Milwaukee for guitarist Les Paul; burial in Wis. town

Guitarist Les Paul to be buried in Wis. hometown

MILWAUKEE — The public will get to pay their respects to guitar virtuoso and inventor Les Paul on Friday in Milwaukee followed by a burial in his Wisconsin hometown of Waukesha.

Discovery World President Joel Brennan says Paul’s body will lie in repose from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the museum before a private family service at the Prairie Home Cemetery. The museum has an exhibit on Paul’s life.

Paul died in White Plains, N.Y. on Aug. 13 of complications from pneumonia at age 94.

Paul was known for his lightning-fast riffs and performed with some of early pop’s biggest names.

But it was his invention of the first solid-body electric guitar that paved the way for modern rock ‘n’ roll.