Laila Ali: My father is ‘not suffering anymore’

He had been admitted to hospital earlier in the week with a respiratory condition having suffered with Parkinson’s disease for 32 years. “We believe without fail that cures are within reach if we dare to do more, not less”, they wrote.

Muhammad Ali converted to Islam in 1964. “Now is our chance to honor him by finishing the fight he could not”.

In one photo, the 74-year-old boxing legend and humanitarian, who died Friday, raises his fists at the camera.

Parkinson’s disease slowly causes the dopamine neurons in the brain to sicken and die, which affects movement and worsens over time, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Former US President Bill Clinton and actor Billy Crystal are also set to speak.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed he will be there but President Barack Obama will not attend, remaining in Washington for the high school graduation ceremony of his eldest daughter, Malia.

The two celebrities will carry Ali’s coffin together with six family members and close family friends, family spokesman Bob Gunnell said.

An interfaith memorial service for the legendary boxer will take place on Friday.

“Everything that we’re doing here was blessed by Muhammad Ali and requested”, Gunnell said. And he wanted everyone to be able to attend.

He will be buried at Louisville’s Cave Hill Cemetery.

Ali, who joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay in 1964, was a hero for many Muslims in the United States and around the world. “He wanted the memorial service to reflect that”.

“I will always remember Ali for the fun and professionalism he brought to the sport of boxing and my condolences to his family and the boxing fraternity”.

The city is largely giving itself over to the memorial service, offering free bus rides to ticket holders, urging downtown businesses to use common sense when deciding whether to open and imploring residents to offer a heaping slice of Southern hospitality to the throngs of out-of-towners.