Bill Clinton eulogizes Muhammad Ali as a ‘free man of faith’
One former boxer in Nairobi was among the few who fought Ali and knocked him down. The public ceremony was held at the KFC Yum!
Whether or not Crystal’s closing remark was intended as a rebuke to Trump, the comedian delivered an equally touching and hilarious eulogy for Ali.
In the letter, read by White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, the president described Ali as “more original and influential than just about anyone of his era”.
Crystal wowed the Louisville crowd with impressions of both Cosell and Ali – just as good today as it was four decades earlier. Additionally, even more distinguished celebrities, such as Will Smith, were in attendance to pay their respects to the great athlete.
Louisville is used to big events, hosting the Kentucky Derby on the first week of May each year, but this day represented one of the most unforgettable and historic events in the history of the city.
Ali died June 3 of complications from Parkinson’s disease. It’s a comedy routine titled “15 Rounds” and Crystal shared it on Twitter last week, tweeting, “For the greatest man I have ever known”. They stayed the longest in the section of the museum about the Civil Rights movement, and son Daniel, a teenager at the time, says that is what will stay with him most about Ali.
“He was a tremendous bolt of lightning, created by Mother Nature out of thin air”, he said.
The casket was loaded into a hearse outside a funeral home as a group of pallbearers that included former boxers Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis and actor Will Smith filed out, along with Ali’s nine children, his wife, two of his ex-wives and other family members.
Ali “dared to affirm the power and capacity of African-Americans”, Cosby said, adding that he infused African-Americans with a “sense of somebodiness”.
“I’ve spent a lot of time now as I get older and older and older trying to figure out what makes people tick, how do they turn out the way they are, how do some people refuse to become victims and rise from every defeat”, Clinton began.
“I will always think of Muhammad as a truly free man of faith”, Clinton said, referring to Ali’s devotion to his religion and his conviction to help others. They were his to fashion, no matter what the cost.
“He wanted us to use his life and his death as a teaching moment for young people, for his country, and for the world”.
Ali was later laid to rest at Cave Hill Cemetery in a private ceremony.
In the end, Muhammad Ali symbolized the attractive side of humanity.
The procession drove the coffin through the streets of Ali’s hometown, Louisville.
“I think we waited about an hour and a half, but definitely worth the wait”, Muhammad Ali fan, Pat Sheehan said.