Athletes Pay Tribute To Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali, ‘The Greatest,’ Following His Death

Just moments after the death of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, dozens of current and former sports stars took to social media to honor the three-time World Heavyweight Champion and civil rights activist, who died Friday night at a Phoenix-area hospital.

Athletes Pay Tribute To Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali, ‘The Greatest,’ Following His Death

Ali, who proclaimed himself ‘The Greatest,’ died following a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, and had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory problems.

His fellow boxers were quick to post their tributes online.

“My heart is deeply saddened yet both appreciative and relieved that the greatest is now resting in the greatest place,” Roy Jones Jr. said on Twitter.

Several other notable athletes, including US Women’s National Team soccer star Alex Morgan, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and former Chicago Bulls small forward Scottie Pippen also expressed their condolences on Twitter:

Even as his health declined, Ali remained a strong voice in politics. He released a statement in December criticizing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump‘s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States. “We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda,” he said.

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay on Jan. 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, to middle-class parents, Ali started boxing when he was 12, winning Golden Gloves titles before heading to the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where he won a gold medal as a light heavyweight. He turned professional shortly afterwards.

“I am happy my father no longer struggles. He is in a better place. God is the greatest,” his daughter Maryum said on Saturday.

As a young heavyweight champ, Ali converted to Islam and refused to serve in the Vietnam War.

“Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it,” said President Barack Obama. 

Ali’s body is being returned in the next two days to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where his funeral is scheduled for Friday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center. The celebration of his life will feature a funeral procession through the town and public celebration. The boxer will be buried in a private service at the city’s Cave Hill Cemetery. The service will be presided over by an imam and feature eulogies by former President Bill Clinton, sports journalist Bryant Gumber and actor Billy Crystal.

NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 13: (EXCLUSIVE ACCESS – PREMIUM RATES APPLY) Muhammad Ali onstage during the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s 2010 Benefit ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s’ at The Waldorf=Astoria on November 13, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research)