Muhammad Ali spent his final days watching TV shows about his boxing career.
The boxing icon — who went public with his Parkinson’s syndrome diagnosis in 1984 — passed away in June 2016 and his daughter Hana has now lifted the lid on her dad’s final days, revealing he loved watching himself on TV.
Hana, 44, told The Sun newspaper: “‘Weren’t I something’, he would say to us, his children.’ He would watch Elvis films on TV, and documentaries about James Brown and Little Richard, but mainly about himself, especially at the age he had Parkinson’s.
“You could see that light in his eyes. That spark. His eyes were dancing although his body wasn’t. He would look around the room smiling, it was so funny. No matter how bad his position was, he didn’t complain. He never questioned his illness, he never asked, ‘Why me?’
“He never felt sorry for himself. He felt a blessing in everything and said having Parkinson’s helps other people that are scared and frightened who are hiding away in their homes. Even in his illness he inspired people, his journey on this earth. He found a way to keep on going and life was all the blessings he had.”
Hana also recalled big-name celebrities flocking to see her dad after his retirement from boxing.
The likes of Michael Jackson and Prince used to visit the former world champion at home, according to Hana.
She said: “Clint Eastwood was around a lot, Stevie Wonder, Cary Grant. Michael Jackson visited a few times. Prince would come later in the ’90s and we had dinner with Madonna a few times. Over the years, so many celebrities that you’ve heard of tried to meet my father and have been to our home. The list is endless. Everyone was a fan of my dad’s.”
Muhammad Ali, Prince, Michael Jackson, Clint Eastwood,
