One minute he was pillow-fighting with friends in his motel room. The next he was sprawled on a balcony, the life flowing out of him. The assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 40 years ago this week touched off shock waves of anger and violence across the nation. But in Atlanta, King's hometown, there was a profound sadness. Tens of thousands of people walked with his casket, borne on a mule-drawn wagon, through the streets where he had grown up, gone to school and ministered. The great pageant of grief was the largest funeral the city has ever seen. In anticipation of the anniversary, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed and photographed 12 people who experienced those days most vividly. They are witnesses, colleagues, family members —- intimate participants in the end of an epoch. Excerpts of their reflections are on the pages that follow.

MORE ONLINE: ajc.com's special video presentation and more on the life of MLK. ajc.com/metro/MLK