Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Ali takes his final journey home
Thousands turn out for ‘The Greatest’
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky: Muhammad Ali made his final journey through his home town; past the little pink house where he grew up and the museum that bears his name as thousands of mourners along the route pumped their fists and chanted, “Ali! Ali!” for the former heavyweight champion of the world known simply as The Greatest.
A hearse bearing Ali’s cherry-red coffin, draped in an Islamic tapestry, yesterday arrived at Louisville’s Cave Hill Cemetery in a long line of black limousines after a 30km drive via Muhammad Ali Boulevard that was both sombre and exuberant.
“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 laid to rest at noon – his headstone inscribed simply “Ali” – in a private graveside ceremony, followed by a grand memorial service attended by more than 15 000 people, including former US 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.
The coffin was loaded into a hearse outside a funeral parlour 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.
As the limousines rolled past on the way to the cemetery, fans chanted like spectators at one of his fights, stood on cars, held up cellphones and signs, ran alongside the hearse and reached out to touch it. They tossed so many flowers on to the windshield that the driver had to pull some of them off to see the road.
Others fell silent and looked on reverently as the former three-time champion’s hearse went by.
Ali chose the cemetery as his final resting place a decade ago. Its 130 000 graves represent a who’s who of Kentucky, including KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders.
A traditional Muslim funeral service was held on Thursday, with an estimated 6 000 admirers arriving from all over the world.
Ali decided years ago his 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.
US president Barack Obama was unable to make the trip because of his daughter Malia’s high school graduation. Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, 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 house. 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 bridge will be illuminated for the rest of the week in red and gold: red for his boxing gloves, gold for his Olympic medal. – ANA-AP