(RALEIGH) -- Members of the State Employees Choir helped lead an annual observance on Friday of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Raleigh. The event also celebrated the life of former State Auditor Ralph Campbell.

Campbell, who died at the age of 64 after losing a battle to lung cancer, lay in state in the Capitol rotunda. Campbell was the first African-American elected to statewide office in North Carolina. He was first elected in 1992 and served for 12 years.

Governor Bev Perdue spoke at the event. She said King's efforts to promote equality are shown by Campbell's life.

"The legacy of Ralph Campbell is a strong one. He spent his life doing for the people of North Carolina," Perdue said. "The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King is that we all have to live on and love one another and hope for future generations."