Loleini Tonga Speaks at Chris Henry Funeral

Chris Henry’s fiance, Loleini Tonga, held back tears as she spoke at the Bengals receiver’s funeral today. She said that even though she may have kept him out of trouble, he still managed to change her life in a profound way.

“Can’t nobody feel what I’m feeling right now. We loved each other very much. People say I helped change his life. No. He changed mine,” she said. “We were supposed to get married in three months, but I’m going to wait until I see him again.”

Follow the whole story here: Chris Henry Dies

Hundreds of people attended the funeral, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and several of Henry’s teammates.

The Bengals players wore round lapels with #15 on them while others wore ribbons with a small picture of Henry that read: “In loving memory” and “Chris ‘Slim’ Henry.”

Goodell spoke at the funeral as well.

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“His future as a husband and a father were important to him,” Goodell said. “He was a young man that struggled, made some decisions that he regretted, but he put himself on the right path. And I’m proud of that. I’m proud of him.”

Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis were expected to deliver eulogies at the service. Prior to the funeral, Lewis said that Henry touched a many lives in his short time on this earth.

“It’s a bright story and one that didn’t get to get all the way to the end of it which is the most unfortunate part,” the coach said. “We’ll miss Chris’ sparkling smile.”

Henry died on Thursday, just one day after he fell out of a pickup truck in North Carolina. Police said Henry and his fiance had a disagreement and she then drove away on a residential street. Henry proceeded to jump into the back of the truck.

A witness heard Henry say, “If you take off, I’m going to jump off the truck and kill myself.” A 911 caller said she saw a shirtless man “beating on the back of this truck window.”

Police say that Tonga stopped to help Henry after he fell out of the truck.