Cultural icon remembered as
‘The Greatest’ to ever enter the ring
(FOX)- Muhammad Ali, the three-time heavyweight champion boxer whose electrifying prowess in the ring and controversial outspokenness outside of it made him one of the world’s most recognizable personalities of the 20th Century, died Friday after a battle with a respiratory illness. He was 74.
Ali, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984, died at a Phoenix hospital.
Ali family spokesperson Bob Gunnell said in a statement that Ali’s funeral will take place in his hometown of Louisville, Ky.
“The Ali family would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support and asks for privacy at this time.”
Reaction to Ali’s death immediately poured in on Twitter early Saturday from former boxing champions to celebrities and politicians.
Ali is survived by his wife, the former Lonnie Williams, and nine children: Maryum, Rasheda, Jamillah, Hana, Laila, Khaliah, Miya, Muhammad and Asaad. Ali was married four times: to Sonji Roi from 1964 to 1966; to Belinda Boyd from 1967 to 1977; and to Veronica Porsche Ali from 1977 to 1986; and Williams, whom he married in 1986.