Muhammad Ali to be honored at public funeral in Louisville on June 10

The family of Muhammad Ali has released details surrounding his death and funeral plans for the legendary boxer and humanitarian who passed away on Friday at the age of 74.

Ali spent five days at an Arizona hospital for what began as respiratory issues that worsened over time. At 9:10 p.m. on Friday, Ali finally succumbed to septic shock “due to unspecified natural causes” with his wife and children by his bedside.

Septic shock stems from complications due to an infection where toxins in the body can initiate a full-body inflammatory response. It often occurs among the elderly as well as those with weakened immune systems. The infection causes inflammation and tiny blood clots to form, which block oxygen and nutrients from reaching vital organs. The blood pressure drops significantly and leads to respiratory, heart or organ failure and death.

According to a tweet by Ali’s daughter, Hana, the heart of “The Greatest” continued to beat for 30 minutes after his organs failed. “A true testament to the strength of his Spirit and Will!” she posted. She wrote on her Instagram and Twitter accounts that "no one had even seen anything like it.''

According to a release, the funeral service will take place at the KFC YUM! Center on Friday, June 10 in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. The service will be open to the public with limited seating beginning at 2:00 p.m. The service will also be streamed live from AliCenter.org.

The service will include eulogies from former President Bill Clinton, journalist Bryant Gumbel and comedian Billy Crystal.

In addition to the funeral, there will be a procession through Louisville, which will allow the general public to pay their respects to the man simply known as “The Greatest.” The route will include many locations that carried historical significance pertaining to Muhammad Ali.

For those in the Louisville area who want to pay their respects to Ali, the Muhammad Ali Center (144 N. 6th Street) will be open throughout the week. The family has asked that donations be made to the center in lieu of gifts and flowers so that the center can continue to promote Ali’s legacy of humanitarianism.