Muhammad Ali's funeral "will be held Friday in Louisville" with plans "made years ago based on Ali's wishes." The funeral will include a "motorcade through the city and a memorial service with eulogies by" former President Bill Clinton, Billy Crystal and Bryant Gumbel. Family spokesman Bob Gunnell said Ali wanted the memorial to be "open to everyone" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 6/5). Among the officiants "will be Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a former Mormon bishop and a friend of Ali’s." The HOFer's death on Saturday was "greeted like that of a head of state, which, in a sense, he was." Ali tributes "came from all over the world" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/5).
Ali's daughter, Hana, shared details of his last moments. She tweeted, "We all tried to stay strong and whispered in his ear, ‘You can go now. We will be okay. … Thank you. You can go back to God now.’ All his organs failed, but his heart wouldn’t stop beating. ... For 30 minutes … his heart just kept beating. No one had ever seen anything like it. A true testament to the strength of his spirit and will" (TWITTER.com, 6/4).
