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Muhammad Ali funeral: Thousands line route for farewell Muhammad Ali funeral: Rousing farewell at hometown memorial
(about 2 hours later)
Thousands have attended a farewell procession for boxing legend Muhammad Ali in his home city of Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky. Speakers have been paying rousing tributes to boxing legend Muhammad Ali at a memorial service in his home city of Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky.
Onlookers cheered his cortege as it passed by on its way to a city cemetery where he was then buried in a private service for family and friends. The interfaith event took place hours after thousands of well-wishers said farewell as his coffin was paraded through the streets of the city.
He was buried in a private ceremony attended by friends and family.
The ex-heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74.The ex-heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74.
An interfaith memorial service for the boxer is now being held at a major sports centre. The service, attended by dignitaries and by several thousand people who acquired free tickets, was held at the KFC Yum! Centre.
After a Koran reading, local Protestant minister Kevin Cosby set the tone of the event, saying that Muhammad Ali had "infused in Africans a sense of somebodiness".
"Before James Brown said 'I'm black and I'm proud', Muhammad Ali said 'I'm black and I'm pretty'," he said.
Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of a progressive Jewish magazine, used his speech to launch a blistering attack on injustice against black people and Muslims.
"The way to honour Muhammad Ali is to be Muhammad Ali today," he said. "Speak out and refuse to follow the path of conformity."
Former President Bill Clinton is to deliver one of the eulogies.Former President Bill Clinton is to deliver one of the eulogies.
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Thousands of free tickets for the memorial service were snapped up within half an hour. Comedian Billy Crystal will also deliver a eulogy, while sports journalist Bryant Gumbel, the daughter of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Attallah Shabazz, and Ali's wife, Lonnie, and daughters, Maryum and Rasheda, are also expected to speak.
Among those attending the service is King Abdullah of Jordan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Thursday's prayer ceremony and had been due at the service, but cut short his visit to the US.
The reasons for his departure are not clear, though there are reports of differences with the funeral's organisers.
President Barack Obama was not there, as he was attending his eldest daughter Malia's graduation.
White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett - who knew Ali - is representing the president.
Rose petals
The motorcade procession began at about 10:35 local time (14:35 GMT), more than an hour behind schedule, and took the coffin past his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage and then down Muhammad Ali Boulevard.The motorcade procession began at about 10:35 local time (14:35 GMT), more than an hour behind schedule, and took the coffin past his childhood home, the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage and then down Muhammad Ali Boulevard.
Onlookers lining the roadside waved, took photos and chanted "Ali, Ali" as a cortege led by the hearse carrying his coffin drove through the downtown area.Onlookers lining the roadside waved, took photos and chanted "Ali, Ali" as a cortege led by the hearse carrying his coffin drove through the downtown area.
Fans threw flowers at the hearse and rose petals were scattered along the route.
In one neighbourhood, several young men ran alongside the vehicle carrying a placard which read: "Ali is the greatest, thanks 4 all the memories."
The cortege then brought the coffin to the Cave Hill cemetery, where Muhammad Ali was buried in a private ceremony. Actor Will Smith and ex-boxer Lennox Lewis were among the pallbearers.
A memorial service at the KFC Yum! Centre is now under way.
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Comedian Billy Crystal will also deliver a eulogy, while sports journalist Bryant Gumbel, the daughter of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Attallah Shabazz, and Ali's wife, Lonnie, and daughters, Maryum and Rasheda, are also expected to speak. Fans threw flowers at the hearse and rose petals were scattered along the route.
Among those expected to attend the service is King Abdullah of Jordan. In one neighbourhood, several young men ran alongside the vehicle carrying a placard which read: "Ali is the greatest, thanks 4 all the memories."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Thursday's prayer ceremony and had been due at the service, but reports say he has cut short his visit to the US. The cortege then brought the coffin to the Cave Hill cemetery, where Muhammad Ali was buried in a private ceremony. Actor Will Smith and ex-boxer Lennox Lewis were among the pallbearers.
The reasons for his departure are not clear, though there are reports of differences with the funeral's organisers.
President Barack Obama will not be there, as he is to attend his eldest daughter Malia's graduation.
But in a video message, he said: "This week we lost an icon. A person who for African Americans, I think, liberated their minds in recognising that they could be proud of who they were."
White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett - who knew Ali - will represent the president.
Lennox Lewis, a former world heavyweight boxing champion himself, said it was an honour to be a pallbearer and that Ali's memory would never fade.
"The term 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' will always be remembered. He is an icon and a legend of boxing," he said.
The other pallbearers are family and friends, along with Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in the 2001 film about the boxer's life.
Abi Ajram, 48, who has made a 4,000-mile trip from London to pay his respects, told PA: "I feel Muhammad Ali deserved the world turning up for him. He was the number one."
The funeral service will be streamed live online.
One sour note was the report that some people were trying to sell the free tickets to the service on the internet.
Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell said he was "personally disgusted" at attempts to profit from the event.
'Teaching moment'
The funeral events began on Thursday with a Muslim prayer service attended by 14,000 people.
Ali wanted the service, known as a Jenazah, to be "a teaching moment", according to Imam Zaid Shakir, who led it.
American Muslims attending the service and watching on TV said they hoped that the public prayers would help Americans to become more familiar with Islam and its practices.
In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name".In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name".
He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam.He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam.
In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.
Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health.Soon after retiring, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health.
Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.Parkinson's Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.
He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.
He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.