Boxing legend and three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali died on Friday, June 3 at the age of 74.
As we previously reported, Ali was taken to the hospital on Thursday for respiratory issues and was in, “fair condition.” He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the 1970s and had been battling the disease ever since. On Friday, he was reportedly on life support and doctors had said to his children that the, “end is near.” Ali was married four times and has nine children.
"After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74,” Bob Gunnell, spokesman for the family, said. He went on to say that Ali had died in the evening.
"Muhammad Ali was The Greatest. Period," President Barack Obama said in a statement, "If you just asked him, he'd tell you. He'd tell you he was the double greatest; that he'd 'handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder into jail.'" In continuing his statement, the President said Ali, "shook up the world," and everyone was better for the talent and hard work he showed through his life.
Ali, who called himself “The Greatest,” was considered as being the best boxer of all time. He won 56 of his 61 fights, was a three-time heavyweight champion and won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, according to ABC News. He retired from boxing in 1981. He was ranked as the third greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, behind Michael Jordan, who was number one and Babe Ruth. In 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Ali’s funeral will take place in Louisville, Kentucky, his hometown. The family has thanked everyone for their thoughts, prayers and support and also asked for privacy during their time of mourning.