The boxing legend was admitted to the hospital June 2. (Getty)
On Thursday, June 2, 2016, Muhammad Ali was hospitalized for “respiratory issues,” according to his representative. The boxing legend is 74 and has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since the 1980s. Some reports are claiming this could be more serious than his past hospital visits for conditions like pneumonia.
Stick with Heavy for live updates on Ali’s health status.
News that Muhammad Ali passed away broke on June 4. (Getty)
June 4, 12:15 a.m. ET: Muhammad Ali, also known as “The Greatest,” is dead, according to NBC News.
“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.
The beloved athlete died Friday in Phoenix, Arizona, a family spokesman said, reports CNN.
The 74-year-old had suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, “a progressive neurological condition that slowly robbed him of both his legendary verbal grace and his physical dexterity,” says NBC News. “A funeral service is planned in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.”
June 3, 11 p.m. ET: More sources are commenting on Ali’s “grave condition,” including Reuters, who wrote about his “rapidly failing health.” A source close to Reuters said that Ali’s condition is, “extraordinarily grave” and that “it’s a matter of hours,” before his death.
Reuters‘ source had spoken with Ali’s wife, Lonnie. “It could be more than a couple of hours, but it’s not going to be much more. Funeral arrangements are already being made,” Reuters reports.
family’s representative, Bob Gunnell, would not respond to Reuters’ repeated requests for comment about Ali’s condition.
Friday, June 3, 7 p.m. ET: NBC News reports that Ali is in “grave condition” as he continues to battle this respiratory complication.
Friday, June 3, 5:30 p.m. ET: Business Insider is also reporting that Ali could be nearing the end, saying that a source told The Mirror, “doctors are working to regulate his breathing…it is being hampered by his Parkinson’s.”
The champion’s daughter Laila Ali (also a boxer) took to Facebook to express her love for her father and her gratitude for the support she’s been receiving from fans.
Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila posted a photo of herself and her father on Facebook. (Facebook/Laila Ali)
Friday, June 3, 4 p.m. ET: Ali has entered intensive care and is on life support, according to The Mirror, and doctors have expressed fear that he “is near the end”. The Mirror reports that the boxer’s ex-wives told the British newspaper that his children, including daughters Laila, Hana and Maryum, are by his side or on their way to be with him for this fight. They began flying in from around the U.S. when doctors expressed that his survival was uncertain, says The Mirror, adding that they aren’t even comfortable transporting him to another hospital at this point.
Although there were discussions about transporting him to another area of the hospital, sources claimed doctors decided the move “potentially could be deadly,” and the transfer was called off.
His current wife, Lonnie, is also at his bedside.
Ali’s life long friend Tim Shanahan spoke to The Mirror about Ali’s condition:
Now Muhammad Ali, your room in heaven is right next to God’s master bedroom in his mansion in heaven. Thank you for giving the world the Greatest Love of All.
Friday, June 3, 12 p.m. ET: The Associated Press confirms that Ali is at a hospital in the Phoenix area, being treated for “what two people familiar with his condition say may be more serious problems than his previous hospital says,” says AP.
The AP also reports that the 74-year-old is “fighting respiratory issues that are complicated by the Parkinson’s that he was diagnosed with in the 1980s.”
In an email Friday, the family’s representative, Bob Gunnell, said “there was no update on Ali’s condition,” reports AP. People magazine says that his family is “concerned.” According to Radar Online, his family has gathered at his bedside.
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been hospitalized following a respiratory issue, and the Associated Press is now reporting that the situation could be serious. (Getty)
Friday, June 3, 6 a.m. ET: Ali was hospitalized Thursday, June 2. the family’s representative, Bob Gunnell stated, “Ali, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, is being treated by his team of doctors for a respiratory issue and is in fair condition,” according to CNN. Gunnell also said that a “brief hospital stay is expected” and requests privacy for the family.
The AP has contacted his longtime Parkinson’s doctor but he has declined to comment on the former athlete’s condition.
