Muhammad Ali made his final journey through his hometown Friday in a funeral procession for The Greatest as thousands of mourners lined the streets where the future heavyweight champion of the world once chased school buses in hiking boots to train for his fights.
The 17-car motorcade set out for a Louisville cemetery on a 19-mile route that was expected to take Ali’s body past his boyhood home, the gym where he first learned to box and the museum that bears his name, by way of Muhammad Ali Boulevard.
Fans chanted “Ali! Ali!” like spectators at one of his fights, pumped their fists, stood on cars, held up cellphones, signs and T-shirts, tossed flowers and scattered rose petals as the champ went by. Truckers honked their horns in salute. Others looked on quietly and reverently.
“He stood up for himself and for us, even when it wasn’t popular,” said Ashia Powell, waiting at a railing for the hearse to pass by on an interstate highway below.
Ali was to be laid to be rest around midday his headstone inscribed simply “Ali” in a private graveside ceremony, followed in the afternoon by a grand memorial service attended by more than 15,000 people, including former President Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal.
Ali, the most magnetic and controversial athlete of the 20th century, died last Friday at 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. A traditional Muslim funeral service was held Thursday, with an estimated 6,000 admirers arriving from all over the world.
On Friday, Takeisha Benedict and four co-workers were colour-coordinated in orange “I Am Ali” T-shirts as they waited along Muhammad Ali Boulevard to pay their respects as the hearse went by.
“To me, he was a legend to this city and an example to people. I’m just glad to be part of this history of saying goodbye,” she said. “Opening it up and allowing us to be part of it, we’re so appreciative.”
Mike Stallings, 36, of Louisville, brought his two young sons, and the family made signs to wave.
“I’ve been crying all week,” he said. “As big as he was he never looked down on people. He always mingled among the crowds.”
Ali chose the cemetery, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, as his final resting place a decade ago. Its 130,000 graves represent a who’s who of Kentucky, including Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders.
Family spokesman Bob Gunnell said the simple stone in Cave Hill Cemetery will be in keeping with Islamic tradition.
Among the scheduled speakers at the memorial service at the KFC Yum! Centre were Clinton, Crystal and TV journalist Bryant Gumbel. The king of Jordan was also expected to attend.
Ali himself decided years ago that when he died, the funeral would be open to ordinary fans, not just VIPs. As a result, thousands of free tickets were made available and were snatched up within an hour.
Louisville is accustomed to being in the limelight each May during the Kentucky Derby. But the send—off for the three-time heavyweight champion and global advocate for social justice loomed as one of the city’s most historic events.
“We’ve all been dreading the passing of the champ, but at the same time we knew ultimately it would come,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “It was selfish for us to think that we could hold on to him forever. Our job now, as a city, is to send him off with the class and dignity and respect that he deserves.”
Tyson was added at the last moment to the list of pallbearers. Gunnell said that Tyson was highly emotional upon learning of Ali’s death and wasn’t sure if he could handle the memorial, but ended up catching a late flight.
Rumors that Donald Trump would attend were quashed Friday morning when Gunnell said the Republican presidential candidate called Ali’s wife, Lonnie, to inform her that he was unable to make it.
President Barack Obama was unable to make the trip because his daughter Malia is graduating from high school. Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, planned to read a letter from Obama at the service.
People gathered early in the day outside Ali’s boyhood home, which was decorated with balloons, flags, flowers and posters. Fans took photos of themselves in front of the small pink house with white trim. Some people staked out their places nearby with lawn chairs.
The Ali Centre stopped charging admission. A sightseeing company began tours of Ali’s path through the city. Businesses printed his quotes across their billboards. City buses flashed “Ali The Greatest” in orange lights. A downtown bridge will be illuminated the rest of the week in red and gold- red for his boxing gloves, gold for his Olympic medal.
“Everybody feels a sense of loss with Ali’s passing,” said Mustafa Abdush-Shakur, who traveled from Connecticut. “But there’s no need to be sad for him. We’re all going to make that trip.”
