BREAKING NEWS - Muhammad Ali dies aged 74: Greatest boxer of all time passes away with family at his side - one day after being rushed to hospital following 32-year battle with Parkinson's
- Muhammad Ali has died aged 74 at a hospital outside Phoenix, Arizona
- Greatest boxer of all time battled with Parkinson's disease for 32 years
- He was rushed to hospital on Thursday with difficulty breathing
- Doctors earlier warned the legendary boxer was just hours from death
- Family were by his side and had started making funeral plans, source said
Muhammad Ali has died aged 74 after a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease.
The legendary boxer - widely regarded as the best of all time - died with his family at his side on Friday evening, a day after he was rushed to hospital with difficulty breathing.
'After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,' Ali's spokesman said.
Ali's family said his funeral would be held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, and thanked the public for their outpouring of support.
Ali had been on life support at a hospital outside Phoenix, Arizona, after he was found 'barely breathing' at his home on Thursday.
He was taken to hospital with an 'unshakeable cough', a separate source said, with his fatal respiratory problems likely to have been complicated by his Parkinson's disease.
The Greatest was surrounded by his family, who rushed to be at his bedside on Friday after doctors warned his condition was 'rapidly deteriorating', a source said.
It was earlier reported that Ali's family had started making funeral arrangements after doctors warned that he was just hours from death.
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Muhammad Ali has died aged 74, a day after he was rushed to hospital with difficulty breathing
Medical issues: Ali (above with wife Lonnie Wiliams in October) was taken to a hospital on Thursday after he began having difficulty breathing
Brutal: Ali stands over fallen challenger Sonny Liston, shouting and gesturing shortly after dropping Liston in a 1965 fight
His third wife Veronica Porsche told Radar Online on Friday that her two daughters with Ali - Laila and Hana - were on their way to see their father. They are believed to have arrived in time to see him before he died.
Ali's second wife, Khalilah, also said that one of her daughters was rushing to see the boxer in the hospital.
A source told Radar on Friday that Ali's family had been 'prepared for the worst'.
Ali's spokesman, Bob Gunnell, said on Thursday that the boxer was being treated for a respiratory issue at a hospital, saying he was in a 'fair condition'.
He released another statement on Friday stating that there had been no change to Ali's condition.
Ali married four times, most recently to his current wife Lonnie, and has nine children - seven daughters and two sons.
He will be remembered for his stunning victories against the likes of Sonny Lister, as well as George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle and Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila. Ali also won gold at the 1960 Olympics.
His trash-talking and way with words - which produced unforgettable quotes such as 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' - were also part of what made Ali the best boxer to ever take to the ring.
But it was boxing that would eventually be his downfall - with the sheer number of blows he took to the head thought to be linked to Parkinson's, which he was diagnosed with in 1984.
Ali's daughter Laila posted a touching family photograph of her father holding her as a baby, thanking supporters for their kind messages
Family time: Ali poses with some of his seven daughters and two sons (above) at his most recent birthday party in January of this year
Daddy's girls: Ali with his daughter's Laila (left) and Hana (right) at his birthday party in January
Laila Ali spoke about her father's health struggles in interview with People in March, saying: 'He's such a fighter, still, when at times he seems weak and not able to handle it.
'He comes through stronger than ever. He's still fighting regardless and I love my dad for that.'
A representative for Laila told Entertainment Tonight on Friday: 'Laila's number one priority is her father's well-being.
'She truly appreciates the outpouring of love for her family, as she spends quality time with her dad.'
Ali's health last took a turn for the worse in early 2015, when he was treated for a severe urinary tract infection initially diagnosed a month earlier as pneumonia.
His high profile and willingness to share his very public struggle with Parkinson's helped raise awareness of the disease.
His diagnosis was long-linked to the number of times he took blows to the head during fights.
The boxer looked increasingly frail during public appearances over the past few years, including his last outing in April.
He wore sunglasses and was seen hunched over at the annual Celebrity Fight Night dinner in Phoenix, which raises funds for the treatment of Parkinson's.
His last public appearance prior to that was in October of last year when he appeared at the Sports Illustrated Tribute to Muhammad Ali at The Muhammad Ali Center in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Number 1 fan: Proud Ali stops for a photograph after watching his daughter Laila win a Super Middleweight title
Hard work: Ali (above in 1970) won the World Heavyweight Championship three times over the course of his career, a record that still stands
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, Ali took up boxing at age 12, when his bike was stolen and he wanted to find and whip the culprit.
The boy was introduced to Joe Martin, a police officer who coached boxing at a local gym.
Ali's brother, 68-year-old Rahaman Ali, recalled on Saturday night that the champ was cheerful and happy as a youngster.
'As a little boy he (said) he would be the world's greatest fighter and be a great man,' he said.
Ali flourished in the ring, becoming a top amateur and Olympic gold medalist.
He made his professional debut in Louisville and arranged for a local children's hospital to receive proceeds from the fight.
His decision alienated Ali from many across the U.S. and resulted in a draft-evasion conviction.
Ali found himself embroiled in a long legal fight that ended in 1971, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor.
Ali lost his first bid to regain the heavyweight crown when Frazier knocked him down and took a decision in the 'Fight of the Century' at Madison Square Garden in 1971.
Ali regained the heavyweight title in 1974, defeating Foreman in the 'Rumble in the Jungle.'
A year later, he outlasted Frazier in the epic 'Thrilla in Manila' bout.
Ali's last title came in 1978, when he defeated Leon Spinks.
Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and devoted himself to social causes.
He traveled the world on humanitarian missions, mingling with the masses and rubbing elbows with world leaders.
Ali received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005.
MUHAMMAD ALI'S 32-YEAR-LONG FIGHT WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Ali lit the Olympic torch in Atlanta in 1996 (pictured)
December 1981: Ali announced his retirement after a defeat to Trevor Berbick - and immediately began showing symptoms of Parkinson's soon afterwards, the Guardian reported.
1984: Three years later, he was officially diagnosed with the incurable disease. His tremors became noticeable, his speech was slurred and his body movements slow.
He responded to his diagnosis in typically magnanimous fashion by saying: 'I feel fine... I'm older and fatter, but we all change.'
July 1996: In what has become an iconic and historic image, a visibly shaking Ali carried the Olympic torch and lit the cauldron to kick of the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
His condition continued to worsen but he remained active as far as the early 2000's and even helped promote his own biopic, Ali, in 2001.
January 2005: After then US President George Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest US civilian honor - he began to retreat from the public eye.
November 2011: Aged 69, the three time heavyweight champion was taken to an Arizona hospital to be treated for dehydration after passing out in a car.
December 2014: Ali was admitted to an undisclosed hospital, presumably in Arizona, to be treated for what was initially thought to be a mild case of pneumonia. It later transpired that he was suffering from a urinary tract infection.
The legendary boxer began to retreat from the public eye after he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest US civilian honor - in 2005 (pictured)
Ali (pictured in 2010) was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1984, when his tremors became noticeable and his speech slurred
January 2015: Unlike on his 73rd birthday, the family released no pictures of themselves celebrating his birthday on January 17.
A tweet was posted on his Twitter account to mark the event.
March 2016: Ali's wife revealed that his Parkinson's had become so severe, the legendary boxer spent his days watching old videos of past fights and interviews.
Lonnie Ali told The Times he enjoyed winding back the clock and re-watching his historic bouts with arch rival Joe Frazier and interviews with Michael Parkinson.
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