Septic shock was the cause of Muhammad Ali’s death late Friday night, 3rd June, a family spokesman said. A public memorial service and funeral procession will be held today Friday for Ali in his hometown of Louisville. The iconic boxer will be buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, the city of his birth in 1942. The fighter had been suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson’s disease.
Former United States of America President Bill Clinton is scheduled to eulogize Ali, the former three-time heavyweight boxing champion and one of the most iconic sports figures of the 20th century. Actor Billy Crystal and broadcaster Bryant Gumbel also are scheduled to speak.
Ali died on Friday in Scottsdale, Ariz. The cause of death was septic shock, the result of an infection that spreads throughout the body and causes vital organs to shut down. It came from unspecified natural causes, according to family spokesman Bob Gunnell.
Ali, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, was surrounded by family when he died.
“The champ would have been very proud of his family,” Gunnell said.
A funeral procession through the city, the route passing by his boyhood home, will precede the public ceremony at 2 p.m. ET Friday, Gunnell said.
ANTHONY NLEBEM
