Muhammad Ali Passes Away At 74

[shadow force]

Muhammad Ali, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself "The Greatest" and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, is dead.

Ali died Friday at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications, a family spokesman confirmed to NBC News. He was 74.

"After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening," Bob Gunnell, a family spokesman, told NBC News.

Ali had suffered for three decades from Parkinson's, a progressive neurological condition that slowly robbed him of both his legendary verbal grace and his physical dexterity. A funeral service is planned in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

 

[Cue Card]

My Dad told me stories about Ali whom he said at the age of 12 could whip any grown man walking the streets in Louisville. IDK if that was actually true but his legend grew in my mind after hearing that. A Golden Gloves champion. A Olympic champion. A professional Boxing champion. A civil rights champion. A truly remarkable man.

Rest in peace Muhammad Ali. Your soul has moved on but your legend will live forever.

 

[earsky]

We are saddened by the news of our native son's passing.We feel blessed,like many generations around the world,to have known his influence as a human being.

Rest in Peace Champ

 

[BooneCo_Card]

Muhammad Ali, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself "The Greatest" and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, is dead.

Ali died Friday at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications, a family spokesman confirmed to NBC News. He was 74.

"After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening," Bob Gunnell, a family spokesman, told NBC News.

Ali had suffered for three decades from Parkinson's, a progressive neurological condition that slowly robbed him of both his legendary verbal grace and his physical dexterity. A funeral service is planned in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

THE boxer of my era, all time champion and a man whose reach far transcended his sport. Quite simply, "The Greatest."

RIP Champ.

 

[SoulSr]

Truly a remarkable man. Being a native of the Louisville area he made me proud of how he carried himself through adversity. When he was chosen to light the 1996 Olympic Torch here in Atlanta, it proved to all that he was for all people.

RIP homeboy.

 

[kozmas]

I remember when I was in Memphis at the newspaper and Ali came to the newspaper for an interview. A huge crowd turned out to see him in the lobby and sports writers were asking him questions. One of the sports writers asked him how he thought the Memphis Tigers would do in their basketball game on Saturday.
He said Memphis had a pretty good team and he thought they would win. Then he asked who was Memphis playing and they told him Louisville. His eyes got real big and he told them oh you all are in trouble, you better stay away from Louisville, they have some bad boys on the team, you can't beat them.
Everybody really enjoyed it, he left everybody with some good memories. At the beginning of his career I was not an Ali fan I didn't like all his talk. Later his success and talk was so entertaining it was hard not to listen to him when he talked. I eventually became a big fan of Ali and was glad too see him promote Louisville like he did.

 

[The Public Enemy]

I remember when I was in Memphis at the newspaper and Ali came to the newspaper for an interview. A huge crowd turned out to see him in the lobby and sports writers were asking him questions. One of the sports writers asked him how he thought the Memphis Tigers would do in their basketball game on Saturday.
He said Memphis had a pretty good team and he thought they would win. Then he asked who was Memphis playing and they told him Louisville. His eyes got real big and he told them oh you all are in trouble, you better stay away from Louisville, they have some bad boys on the team, you can't beat them.
Everybody really enjoyed it, he left everybody with some good memories. At the beginning of his career I was not an Ali fan I didn't like all his talk. Later his success and talk was so entertaining it was hard not to listen to him when he talked. I eventually became a big fan of Ali and was glad too see him promote Louisville like he did.

He did a lot of Humanitarian work when he left the ring even in his condition...in the ring he left it all and beat the best of the best like Patterson, Liston, Norton, Foreman and Smokin Joe...it ain't braggin if you back it back...The Greatest Backed it Up and on Friday the City and the World will stand still.