Muhammad Ali has died in an Arizona hospital after being admitted earlier this week for a respiratory illness. The iconic boxer had also battled Parkinson’s disease for 32 years.
There were reports his condition had worsened not long after being hospitalised, and several of the celebrated sportsman’s daughters are said to have flown out to Arizona to be with their father before he passed.
In a statement released on Friday, Muhammad’s daughter Laila Ali said she appreciated the “outpouring of love for her family, as she spends quality time with her dad”.
The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer was born Cassius Clay on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. He began boxing at the age of 12, and went on to win a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome as a light heavyweight, before eventually turning professional.
Over the course of his career, he fought in 61 professional bouts, winning 56 and losing five.
As the news of his death hit headlines, many of the boxer’s friends, peers and admirers took to social media to share their tributes to the legend.
“God came for his champion. So long great one,” wrote Mike Tyson, while Larry King wrote: “I mourn the passing of #MuhammadAli.
He was indeed ‘The Greatest’. An American legend & a true Champion for the world.”
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