Mass held to pay tribute to Samaranch

Close friends and sports heroes paid tribute to former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch on Thursday.

The coffin of the late former International Olympic Committee  president Juan Antonio Samaranch inside a car, top, arrives at the  Palau of Generalitat in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday, April 22,  2010. Former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio  Samaranch died Wednesday at age 89 in the Quiron Hospital in his  home city of Barcelona of cardio-respiratory failure three days  after being admitted with heart problems.(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

About 100 friends, family members, and dignitaries attended a Mass at Catalonia state headquarters in Barcelona.

The 89-year old Samaranch died from heart failure on Wednesday. Samaranch's coffin was draped in the Olympic flag as it was brought into the mass behind the music of the Olympic hymn.

The Spaniard oversaw the end of amateurism at the Olympics and a surge in the popularity of the Games. He also dealt with the rise of doping and the Salt Lake City corruption scandal.

Current IOC President Jacques Rogge talked about Samaranch's legacy.