The Greatest has passed away.
Muhammad Ali, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself “The Greatest” and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, is dead.
Ali died Friday at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications, a family spokesperson confirmed to NBC News. He was 74.
Words can’t expressed how much Ali meant to our society. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.