LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- On June 3, 2016, the death of Muhammad Ali drew international attention, and the city of Louisville began to say goodbye to the boxing legend and its native son.
Five years later, and the tears still sting just as much as they did on the day Ali was laid to rest in Cave Hill Cemetery. His hearse drove through Louisville nearly shutting the city down to honor "The Greatest." People lined the streets and threw flowers as the procession passed.
"From my perspective, in the procession, it felt like we were literally floating down the street on the sea of love," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said, remembering that day.
Family and friends gathered at Ali's gravesite Thursday morning for a ceremony honoring the boxer and humanitarian.
Lonnie Ali
"Many of us here have had those experiences since his passing that have let us know that Muhammad's spirit, his energy, his voice and even his wicked sense of humor is still with us," said Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali.
Ali's brother, Rahman Ali, was overcome with emotion when he was handed the microphone to speak at the ceremony. But the next generation from the Ali family eloquently remembered the boxer.
"My grandfather was a man of the people," added Jacob Ali-Wertheimer, Ali's grandson. "My grandfather was a man who loved other people. When he called himself beautiful and when he called himself great, he said that very much as a Black man in a country that told him he should not believe such. And when he said those things, he said things for the people of this world who have been told they're not beautiful, they're not great."
Thursday's memorial was private, but there are plenty of chances for the community to honor Ali through the next week during the Ali Festival. The Ali Community Bus will travel around the city with games and other activities involving Ali on June 7, 8, 9 an 11.
Rahman Ali couldn't contain his emotions at the ceremony at Cave Hill Cemetery honoring his brother, Muhammad Ali, five years after his death. June 3, 2021
And for the next two weeks, the public can watch the new documentary, "City of Ali," at the Muhammad Ali Center downtown. The Ali Center will also hold an art and poetry contest as well as show an exhibit highlighting one of Ali's good friends, all an effort to channel Ali's spirit and legacy as it continues to float through his hometown.
"Muhammad leaves a legacy worth remembering but also one worth living," Lonnie Ali said. "He set the example for all of us while he was alive and he continues to set that example now."
Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
