- Muhammad Ali has died aged 74 at a hospital outside Phoenix, Arizona, after a 32-year battle with Parkinson's
- Greatest boxer of all time was rushed to hospital on Thursday with breathing difficulties and an 'unshakeable cough'
- Doctors earlier warned the legendary boxer was just hours from death and his family were making funeral plans
- Ali's wife, Lonnie, and daughters were by his side during his 'very peaceful passing' late on Friday evening
- Three-time heavyweight world champion was considered the greatest boxer on Earth and also won Olympic gold
- His wins over Sonny Liston, the Thrilla in Manila & Rumble in the Jungle will be remembered - as well as his quotes
- Donald Trump was among the first to pay tribute to Ali, who he called 'a truly great champion and a wonderful guy'
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Hero boxer: Ali prowls the ring after putting George Foreman down in round eight of the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire in 1974
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Muhammad Ali has died aged 74 after a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease.
The
legendary boxer - widely regarded as the best of all time - died with
his family at his side on Friday evening, a day after he was rushed to
hospital with difficulty breathing.
'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,' Ali's spokesman said.
Ali's
family said his funeral would be held in his hometown of Louisville,
Kentucky, and thanked the public for their outpouring of support.
Ali
had been on life support at a hospital outside Phoenix, Arizona, after
he was found 'barely breathing' at his home on Thursday.
He
was taken to hospital with an 'unshakeable cough', a separate source
said, with his fatal respiratory problems likely to have been
complicated by his Parkinson's disease.
The
Greatest was surrounded by his family, who rushed to be at his bedside
on Friday after doctors warned his condition was 'rapidly
deteriorating', a source said.
It
was earlier reported that Ali's family had started making funeral
arrangements after doctors warned that he was just hours from death.
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Muhammad Ali, pictured with his 3rd wife Veronica Ali and daughter,
Hana, died aged 74 after a 32-year-battle with Parkinson's disease
Ali's spokesman Bob Gunnell told MSNBC that the family were 'devastated'.
'Muhammad passed with his family at his side just moments ago,' he said.
'It was a very peaceful passing and they are with him as we speak. You know, we lost a great person in this world tonight.
'We don’t have an official cause of death yet, but it has to be from complications of Parkinson’s.'
Gunnell
said on Thursday that the boxer was being treated for a respiratory
issue at a hospital, which he confirmed again on Friday morning.
Quick to pay tribute to Ali was Donald Trump, who said the boxing legend was 'a truly great champion and a wonderful guy'.
Mike Tyson
also had kind words to say about Ali. He tweeted: 'God came for his
champion. So long great one. @MuhammadAli #TheGreatest #RIP'
He
will be remembered for his stunning victories against the likes of
Sonny Liston, as well as George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle and
Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila. Ali also won gold at the 1960
Olympics in Rome.
His
trash-talking and way with words - which produced unforgettable quotes
such as 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' - were also part of
what made Ali the best boxer to ever take to the ring.
He
also caused controversy by refusing to fight in Vietnam - which led to
him being stripped of his heavyweight championship title.
But
it was boxing that would eventually lead to his long illness - with the
sheer number of blows Ali took to the head thought to be linked to
Parkinson's, which he was diagnosed with in 1984.
Ali's daughter Laila spoke about her father's health struggles in an interview with People in March, saying: 'He's such a fighter, still, when at times he seems weak and not able to handle it.
'He comes through stronger than ever. He's still fighting regardless and I love my dad for that.'
Ali's health last took a turn for the worse in early 2015, when he was treated for a severe urinary tract infection.
His high profile and willingness to share his very public struggle with Parkinson's helped raise awareness of the disease.
Ali's Parkinson's diagnosis was long-linked to the number of times he took blows to the head during fights.
The boxer looked increasingly frail during public appearances over the past few years, including his last outing in April.
He
wore sunglasses and was seen hunched over at the annual Celebrity Fight
Night dinner in Phoenix, which raises funds for the treatment of
Parkinson's.
His
last public appearance prior to that was in October of last year when
he appeared at the Sports Illustrated Tribute to Muhammad Ali at The
Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Born Cassius
Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, Ali took up boxing at age 12,
when his bike was stolen and he wanted to find and whip the culprit.
The boy was introduced to Joe Martin, a police officer who coached boxing at a local gym.
Ali's brother, 68-year-old Rahaman Ali, said the champ was cheerful and happy as a youngster.
'As a little boy he (said) he would be the world's greatest fighter and be a great man,' he said.
Ali
flourished in the ring, becoming a top amateur and Olympic gold
medalist in Rome in 1960 after beating Zbigniew Pietrzykowski for the
light-heavyweight title.
He
made his professional debut in Louisville the next year and arranged
for a local children's hospital to receive proceeds from the fight.
Ali
won his first world title in 1964, beating Sonny Liston on a technical
knockout in the seventh round of the heavyweight bout.
Soon after the fight, he changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali and announced his conversion to Islam.
Ali
refused to fight in Vietnam - a decision that alienated him from many
across the U.S. and resulted in a draft-evasion conviction.
As
a result, the heavyweight champion of the world was stripped of his
title after every state refused to grant him a boxing license.
Ali found
himself embroiled in a long legal fight that ended in 1971, when the
U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor and he was allowed to box once
more.
He
lost his first bid to regain the heavyweight crown when Joe Frazier
knocked him down and won the 'Fight of the Century' at Madison Square
Garden in 1971.
Ali regained the heavyweight title in 1974, defeating George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in what was then Zaire.
A year later, he outlasted Frazier in the epic Thrilla in Manila bout in the Philippines.
Ali's last title came in 1978, when he defeated Leon Spinks.
He retired from boxing in 1981 and devoted himself to social causes, before his Parkinson's diagnosis took its toll.
Ali traveled the world on humanitarian missions, mingling with the masses and rubbing elbows with world leaders.
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005.
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