People from all over the world are expected to pay tribute to Frank Caprio, a retired municipal judge who found online fame as an empathetic jurist and host of “Caught in Providence,” at memorial services beginning Thursday in his home state of Rhode Island.

Caprio, who won hearts with the folksy humor and compassion he brought to his courtroom, had pancreatic cancer and died on Aug. 20 at 88.

His family said they had been moved by the outpouring of support since Caprio's passing and the “thousands of requests from people around the world" who wanted to pray with the family at Caprio's service.

Caprio's son, David Caprio, welcomed members of the public to attend his father's visitation on Thursday and his Friday funeral Mass at Providence’s Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul, which will also be livestreamed on the former judge's social media pages. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, he said supporters of his father were traveling to Rhode Island from as far as the Philippines to attend his services.

Caprio billed his courtroom as a place “where people and cases are met with kindness and compassion.” He was known for dismissing tickets or showing kindness even when he handed out justice. The show, produced by his brother, ran for more than two decades on local television until being nationally syndicated in 2018. Caprio retired from the bench in 2023.

AP Video shot by Rodrique Ngowi