by Omran Hamidi, junior sports editor
Muhammad Ali, the “greatest” and the civil rights activist, passed away at the age of 74 in a Phoenix-area hospital. Ali was in the hospital due to respiratory issues, which eventually worsened, a family spokesman told NBC News.
Ali, the three-time heavyweight champion, was most notably known for the “Thrilla in Manilla” and “Rumble in the Jungle”, in which he beat both Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
“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 was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984, which defined the last 32 years of his life. The disease slowly worsened Ali’s verbal and physical condition, but he never strayed away from the spotlight.
“Muhammad Ali was a very inspiring athlete on and off the ring and their will be none like him,” junior Norman Carmona said.
A multitude of services will be held for Ali back in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. On Thursday, there will be an Islamic funeral prayer held, led by Imam Zaid Shakir, a Muslim scholar from Zaytuna College. On Friday, there will be a public memorial service held at the KFC Yum! Center featuring readings from the Qur’an, eulogies by Billy Crystal, Bryant Gumbel, and Bill Clinton and a poetry reading by Atallah Shabazz.
“I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want ”–Muhammad Ali
