It’s not every day that a king and a president get bumped from giving speeches.
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The family is planning to hold a private funeral this week, and that a public funeral will be held on Saturday NZ time in Louisville, Kentucky at the KFC Yum!
He died from “septic shock due to unspecified natural causes”, said a spokesman for the Ali family.
The event also will serve to remind adults that young people all over the city, the country and the world carry with them the potential for greatness, Fischer said.
Gunnell revealed that Ali, who had battled Parkinson’s disease for 32 years, was actually admitted to hospital early last week suffering from respiratory issues.
“A part of me slipped away, the greatest piece”, George Foreman, a former heavyweight boxer and one of Ali’s most formidable opponents in the ring, said on Twitter after the news of Ali’s death.
Other tributes continue to pour in for the former world and Olympic champion.
Imam Syed Soharwardy said he organized the Calgary service because Ali was part of the global Muslim family and was a great ambassador for the religion.
“And the world is better for it”, said US President Barack Obama.
“Not really”, was Dr. Abe Lieberman’s answer when he was asked Monday if submitting the brain for research was discussed. Ali said her father, who was known as much for his wit and poetic words as his unmatched skills in the boxing ring, hadn’t been himself for a long time.
“Muhammad Ali was like a total eclipse”.
American civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson said Ali had been willing to sacrifice the crown and money for his principles when in 1967 he refused to serve in the Vietnam war. Ali is training for a February 6 championship title fight with Ernie Terrell. “But that’s what I always remember, just being kissed and hugged, and him just being that person, just giving you anything you want because he wants to see a smile on your face”. “But losing to Holmes and being sick are not important in God’s world”. Ali handed Foreman his first loss. It will be open to the public and streamed live on the internet at alicenter.org. He was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Louisville has a unique opportunity, honor and duty to advance Ali’s inspiring legacy, Fischer said as he stood on the Muhammad Ali Center plaza before a backdrop of mementos including flowers, balloons and hand-written signs.
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In a possible preview of Bill Clinton’s eulogy, he and his wife Hillary, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, said Ali was “a blend of beauty and grace, speed and strength that may never be matched again”.
