Tributes honor Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years after his assassination

Marchers commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee.

The civil rights leader was standing on the balcony of the old Lorraine Motel when he was shot on April 4, 1968. He died at a hospital at age 39.

People gather on the National Mall in Washington to mark the anniversary.

A wreath-laying ceremony honors the anniversary at the MLK Memorial in Washington.

Children from Promise Academy Spring Hill hold "I Am A Man" signs that reference the signs carried by striking black sanitation workers in 1968. 

King came to Memphis in 1968 to support the workers who were protesting against low pay and dangerous working conditions.

A woman holds a poster of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis.

Marchers carry "I Am A Man" signs on Beale Street in Memphis.

An overcast sky looms over the memorial near the National Mall.

Martin Luther King III, the son of Martin Luther King Jr., with his wife, Arndrea Waters King, and daughter, Yolanda Renee King, before speaking at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ in Memphis.

The church is the site where his father delivered his famous "Mountaintop" speech on the eve of his assassination.

Attendees sing during a ceremony honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at Mason Temple. 

Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks with family members Tuesday on the balcony outside room 306 at the Lorraine Motel.

King was assassinated as he stepped onto the balcony. Jackson was part of King's entourage on the day. The motel is now the site of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel, where King spent his last night, is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum.

Danny Williams helps raise the American flag at the Lorraine Motel on Tuesday.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: His life in pictures