Should I back off from encouraging my son to go to his friend's funeral?

My son had a friend commit suicide late Friday night and got news of it on Saturday morning. Thanks to social media, he heard about it before I did and I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him about it.I got a text from the boy's mother detailing the funeral arrangements and told my son. He said that he didn't want to go to the funeral or the wake. I told him that I respected his wishes, but think he would regret not going. I talked about it with him this morning and he still said that he didn't want to go. I haven't pushed or asked for a reason, but I told him that I have been to a lot of funerals and know they can be tough, but that it provides some closure and shows respect to the family. That didn't change his mind.My son wasn't best friends with the kid, but they played baseball together much of their lives and he has been to our house a number of times. Most of my son's friends are going. My older son is also going to go because he knew the kid and is friends with the boy's older sister and I also plan on going. He isn't going to be alone if he goes.Should I just allow him to make this decision? Is there anyway to encourage him to go without pushing the issue? The funeral is Tuesday and my son is 14 years old. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2zkBEKB