RIP Muhammad Ali

[KPENN]

Muhammad Ali placed on life support | New York Post

Muhammad Ali has been placed on life support — and his family fears that it “likely won’t be long until he passes away,” according to a report.

The boxing legend was hospitalized in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a respiratory issue on Thursday and insiders tell Radar Online that his loved ones are now rushing to his side because it appears his condition has worsened.

“He needs every bit of fight he’s got left to survive,” a source told the website. “Doctors are telling the family that it likely won’t be long until he passes away.”


Another source said Ali’s vitals “are terrible” at the moment and he is currently relying on medical help to breathe.

His rep told the Associated Press on Thursday that the respiratory problems that the former heavyweight champion was facing had been complicated by the Parkinson’s disease he was diagnosed with in the 1980s.




The spokesman said Ali was being treated at an unidentified hospital and was in “fair condition” and that a brief hospital stay was expected.

But it appears that things got more serious overnight.

“His children are all extremely concerned and dropped everything to be with him,” a source told the Daily Mirror. “They fear the worst.”

Ali has been hospitalized numerous times in the past, most recently in early 2015 when he was treated for a severe urinary tract infection that was initially thought to be pneumonia.

He has looked increasingly frail in public appearances, including April 9, when he wore sunglasses and was hunched over at the annual Celebrity Fight Night dinner in Phoenix, which raises funds for treatment of Parkinson’s.

His last formal public appearance before that was in October, when he appeared at the Sports Illustrated Tribute to Muhammad Ali at The Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, along with former opponents George Foreman and Larry Holmes.

Ali has suffered from Parkinson’s for three decades, most famously trembling badly while lighting the Olympic torch in 1996 in Atlanta. Despite the disease, he kept up a busy appearance schedule until recently, though he has not spoken in public for years.

Doctors say the Parkinson’s likely was caused by the thousands of punches Ali took during a career in which he traveled the world for big fights.

An iconic figure who at one point was perhaps the most recognized person in the world, Ali has lived quietly in the Phoenix area with his fourth wife, Lonnie, whom he married in 1986.

News of his hospitalization brought well wishes from boxers and others on Twitter.

 

[Bishop2b5]

A quick and peaceful death may be a blessing for him at this point.

 

[GATTACA!]

Damn

 

[kmoose]

The day he passes on will be a sad day for all of America, for sure. What a shining example of what a man should be.

 

[Meatloaf]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lvkeUjEMlA

 

[twig21]

A fabulous blend of world class talent, actually the best at what he did, charming personality and a unparalleled showman. Don't think we will ever see another athlete like him.

 

[BobbyMac]

I've been dreading this event for a long time.

The man was MLK & MJ combined. Before the world of ESPN and the instant media, he had no contemporary in sports, few in the world. In my lifetime it's Ali, a declining Elvis, Reagan and Michael... Jackson, then the other MJ.

I hope he is surrounded by loved ones and at peace..

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Sorry to hear this. The Greatest!

 

[Henges24]

Edit: Florida Marlins announced he has passed. This was at 10:00pm. No news outlets confirming this as of yet.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">UPDATE: Marlins stand by announcement of Muhammad Ali's death: "Our team president is certain of his passing." <a href="https://t.co/1PmauIRmUZ">https://t.co/1PmauIRmUZ</a></p>— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAYsports/status/738945493242400768">June 4, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[GoIrish41]

Has passed away according to multiple sources

Sad news.

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

Muhammad Ali, 'The Greatest of All Time', Dead at 74 - NBC News
Damn man

 

[Henges24]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="et" dir="ltr">Rest in peace, Muhammad Ali <a href="https://t.co/bFY29VKDfq">pic.twitter.com/bFY29VKDfq</a></p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/738949275229388800">June 4, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[IrishLax]

Ali was before my time, so I have no opinion on his an athlete. But growing up, I was taught by grandfather (who was a veteran) that Cassius Clay was a draft dodger and a coward.

Since then, always been interesting to see how many people have a completely opposite opinion of him.

 

[GoIrish41]

Ali was before my time, so I have no opinion on his an athlete. But growing up, I was taught by grandfather (who was a veteran) that Cassius Clay was a draft dodger and a coward.

Since then, always been interesting to see how many people have a completely opposite opinion of him.

That was certainly the opinion of a lot of folks back then. Others saw him as a man of great principle. He was a very controversial figure. His path to beloved national icon was a bumpy one. It took some years out of the spotlight before many softened their stance on him. He was an amazing fighter though. Of that there is no doubt. And his interviews with Howard Cosell were extremely entertaining.

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

That was certainly the opinion of a lot of folks back then. Others saw him as a man of great principle. He was a very controversial figure. His path to beloved national icon was a bumpy one. It took some years out of the spotlight before many softened their stance on him. He was an amazing fighter though. Of that there is no doubt. And his interviews with Howard Cosell were extremely entertaining.

Cosell and Ali would have made a great announcing team for any fight.
Imagine those 2 calling the Mayweather Pacquiao fight.

 

[ulukinatme]

Just saw he passed, damn. Hopefully he's in a better place where he doesn't have to fight disease anymore.

 

[Graybeard52]

Sad, sad news but not surprising given the earlier report and he was really a shell of his former self. Still too young but he battled Parkinson's for a long time, it may be a blessing in disguise for him.

Rest in peace sir, you were a joy to watch back in the day. Time to float like a butterfly to the great beyond.

 

[ACamp1900]

Ali was before my time, so I have no opinion on his an athlete. But growing up, I was taught by grandfather (who was a veteran) that Cassius Clay was a draft dodger and a coward.

This was the opinion of every single person in my world that lived through it... The Olympic moment lightened a lot of that but it's still about 50/50 with the hate... Even now, just recently a family member went off on the notion of him being a great man... Idk.

 

[Graybeard52]

I won't judge the man based on the draft dodging because he wasn't the only one and I can't blame some of them under the circumstances. There's a difference between being anti-war/a conscientious objector and just a plain coward. There were plenty of all of them in those days and some of them ended up as career politicians.

I had two brothers that were drafted then and they almost never talked about their time over there after they came home. They also never sought out government benefits they're entitled to because it's just a time they would rather forget. They were proud to serve but at the same time, wondered why they were there.

Anyway, remember the man for what he was, a great boxer. While I don't follow boxing these days, I did until the late 80s and he's still the best I ever watched in that time. He helped make boxing a more mainstream sport.

 

[EddytoNow]

Rest in peace, Muhammad. Your principled stance on the Vietnam War was shared by many. You stood up for your beliefs and played a large role in mending some of the wounds that separated Americans. "Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee."

 

[Henges24]

Seen this in the Awesome Picture Thread last night.

<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/Tsl0wXsKDiu7S" width="480" height="361" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/seconds-ali-punches-Tsl0wXsKDiu7S"></a></p>

 

[GATTACA!]

RIP champ

 

[ohara831]

My heart is broken. Rest in peace sir. You were the Greatest.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

RIP Greatest

 

[ShawneeIrish]

RIP The Greatest of All Time, The Louisville Lip, The Champ

 

[gkIrish]

Goes without saying that my heart is broken. RIP champ.

 

[T Town Tommy]

While some may disagree with Ali and his stance on certain issues, no one can take away the fact that he was pure gold in the ring. Hopefully his contributions to other charitable causes around the world won't get lost in the debate.

Unlike many of the athletes of today, Ali spoke his mind, lost millions in endorsements because of it, and didn't look back. We may be able to disagree with some of his beliefs, choices, etc., but we should respect his character.

RIP The Greatest

 

[pumpdog20]

Great boxer, coward of a man.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Muhammad Ali placed on life support

Muhammad Ali placed on life support

The "coward" label is only warranted if you were brave enough to serve, by choice or draft. Civilians shouldn't be able to call the guy a coward IMO, and they should can the "well I totally would have went" BS to defend their stance if they choose that.

Ali was many things, and although a group of people are entitled to call him a coward, I'm certainly not, and won't here.

 

[GoIrish41]

Seen this in the Awesome Picture Thread last night.

<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/Tsl0wXsKDiu7S" width="480" height="361" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/seconds-ali-punches-Tsl0wXsKDiu7S"></a></p>

Rope-a-dope!