The death of boxing legend Muhammad Ali in 2016 marked the passing of a great man and great provider for his family. The boxing great’s estate was an estimated $80M to be divided among his widow Lonnie Ali and his nine children. Ali had seven daughters and two sons that have displayed a strained relationship in the past.
Details of the will are now emerging and some are saying it could start a family feud. One media outlet reported that a family insider stated, “They all play nice-nicey now, but simmering tension goes back decades. None of the kids trust Lonnie, all are from different mothers and hate each other. Lonnie is said to get double what the kids have, which has left many seething. They didn’t like her before their dad passed away, accusing her of preventing them from seeing him. When he died some sucked up to Lonnie just to get as much as they can, but the truth is that they all did it — then accused the other siblings of doing it. Once [the] money is in the bank it looks like they will cut all ties with each other but not before their true feelings are aired.”
An attorney for the Muhammad Ali Trust, which governs the distribution of his estate, said, “It was crafted to reflect his specific wishes and to protect his legacy.”
According to information released, each of the children will receive $6M and Lonnie Ali is to receive more than double that amount. There were reportedly deep family divides around the time of Ali’s death regarding the non-compliance with Muslim burial practices. Muslim family members were upset that Ali was not buried within 48 hours of his death and that his pallbearers included Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Will Smith but did not include his two sons.
Ali’s only biological son, Muhammad Ali Jr., had until recently been living in poverty and dealing with a drug addiction. He was living with his mother and recently moved to an upscale Chicago hotel and has not been in contact with his siblings for support. He recently revealed to the media that his family is at odds with his brother Asaad who was adopted by his father and Lonnie in 1986.
