Turkish president Erdogan to attend Muhammad Ali funeral

Ali died last Friday night of septic shock from unspecified natural causes at a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital not far from his home.

Funeral services are planned for this weekend in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where the city plans to hold a memorial. “He leaves Wednesday evening”.

Hundreds of people have already left flowers, messages and other tributes at the Muhammad Ali Center, a museum and cultural center in Louisville.

Rizvi, who is a volunteer at the mosque, said he was glad to have been able to participate in the ceremony.

Louisville mayor Greg Fischer told Sky News he expects an “outpouring of love” for the three-time world heavyweight champion, who died on Friday aged 74.

Speaking on The Today Show, Laila Ali, 38, explained that she has been comforted by the thought that her dad is finally free from the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

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.

“My son is a spitting image of my father when he was young and he has so many of his same similar characteristics and qualities”, Ali told Matt Lauer. As a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him, and who helped as many people as he could.

Muhammad Ali was loved and revered by many not only for his athletic talent but also for his personality and humanitarian work outside the ring.

The day before his star-studded funeral, members of Muhammad Ali’s Islamic faith will get their chance to say a traditional goodbye to the Champ. The venue has 18,000 seats.

Ali’s conversion to Islam won him the support of many across the region. In those years, the Muslim world was experiencing a post-colonial era defined by upheaval, with most developing nations taking sides in the Cold War, allying themselves to varying degrees with the United States or the Soviet Union.

As the world mourns the loss of Muhammad Ali, photos have emerged of the boxing great just weeks before his death.

“It’s important to have a memorial service open to people of all walks of life”.

The Dalai Lama was invited, but sent regrets that he will be unable to attend.

Also scheduled to delivered eulogies are Lonnie Ali, his wife of 29 years; his daughter, Maryum Ali; journalist Bryant Gumbel; actor/comedian Billy Crystal; King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.