The legendary former boxing champion and cultural icon Muhammad Ali has died at the age of 74, a family spokesperson has confirmed.
It was confirmed by his spokesman later on Saturday (June 4) that the cause of death was septic shock brought on by natural causes.
Ali was being treated for a respiratory condition complicated by Parkinson's, and died at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. The funeral will take place in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Ali was admitted on Thursday for what his spokesperson initially predicted would be a "brief" stay - but his condition deteriorated and the ex-athlete was reportedly relying on medical assistance to breathe.
Tributes have been paid around the globe, including his fellow boxing champion and ring rival George Foreman, who tweeted: "Ralph Ali, Frazier & Foreman we were 1 guy. A part of me slipped away, 'The greatest piece'."
Muhammad's daughter Laila Ali had thanked her father's supporters on Facebook on Friday, writing: "Thank for all the love and well wishes. I feel your love and appreciate it!!"
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Born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942, Ali was named Cassius Marcellus Clay at birth, after both his father and a 19th century abolitionist politician of the same name.
He took up boxing at just 12 years old, winning several national titles on the way to his Olympic gold at light heavyweight level in Rome in 1960, aged 18.
That same year, he turned pro, and in 1964 he became heavyweight champion of the world at just 22 in a highly-publicised fight against reigning title-holder Sonny Liston. Just a month later, he officially changed his name to Muhammad Ali, dubbing his birth name a "slave" name.
In his great career, Ali held boxing's world heavyweight title a record-breaking three times and his flair in the ring - plus his charisma and outspoken nature outside it - quickly made him a global superstar.
Nicknamed 'The Greatest', he became a cultural phenomenon through his outspoken commitment to political causes and civil rights - notably refusing to serve in the Vietnam War and famously saying: "I ain't got nothing against no Vietcong."
Ali was stripped of his title and his passport, denied a boxing licence in several US States and convicted of draft evasion.
His conviction was overturned in 1971 by the Supreme Court, and that same year, he took on Joe Frazier - and lost - in an eagerly-anticipated bout dubbed the 'Fight of the Century'.
His 1974 title victory against George Foreman, dubbed 'The Rumble in the Jungle', also went down in history - Ali won by knockout.
Ali retired from boxing for good in 1981 after winning 56 of his 61 professional fights, and later encouraged millions around the globe with his brave battle against Parkinson's syndrome - a condition that he refused to let prevent him from keeping up an active public schedule.
In December 2014, he was also in the news for a separate hospital stay to treat pneumonia.
Ali was recognised after his career with accolades including the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, the Presidential Citizen's Medal, Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Century title and the BBC's Sports Personality of the Century.
He was also granted the honour of lighting the Olympic flame at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and was a flag bearer at the London 2012 games.
His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is mounted on the wall rather than the pavement, following a request that his name not be walked upon.
When asked how he would like to be remembered, Ali once said: "I'd like for them to say, 'He took a few cups of love. He took one tablespoon of patience, one teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness. He took one quart of laughter, one pinch of concern, and then, he mixed willingness with happiness. He added lots of faith, and he stirred it up well.
"'Then, he spread it over the span of a lifetime, and he served it to each and every deserving person he met'."
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
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A former director of audience development and content strategy at Hearst UK, Matt was previously Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy. There, he contributed features and reviews on TV, movies, consumer technology, video games and Lego sets, won BSME Digital Editor of the Year, and led the team to numerous awards including Campaign Consumer Media Brand of the Year and PPA Digital Content Team of the Year twice.
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Before joining Hearst in 2015, Matt edited Future’s consumer technology lifestyle brand T3 and the UK arm of Gawker’s tech culture website Gizmodo, and was deputy editor at ShortList, the then biggest men’s magazine in the UK, interviewing the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Lord Sugar and Sirs Ridley Scott and David Attenborough in the process. LinkedIn
Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
During her time at DS, Kate has previously been a freelance sub-editor and chief sub-editor.
Kate's team at Digital Spy were proudly nominated in the Best Subbing/Production Team category at the BSME Talent Awards 2022. Over the years, she has contributed to coverage of many, many Prime Days and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and was part of the team that launched the DS weekly TV newsletter in November 2019 – followed by the Top of the Shops e-commerce newsletter in May 2024.
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