Tributes to Muhammad Ali poured in from around world after the legendary figure died at age 74 on Friday.
From Janet Evans, who passed the Olympic Flame to Ali to conclude the 1996 Atlanta Olympic torch relay:
“Muhammad Ali was truly the greatest -- an athlete who transcended sports to become a global icon. He inspired me, and millions of others around the world, to be the best version of ourselves. Passing the Olympic torch to Muhammad to light the cauldron at the Atlanta Games in 1996 was the defining moment of my career, and a memory I will treasure forever, as much as any of the medals I won. As Olympians, our role is to inspire others to achieve their dreams, and no person has ever lived that role more than Muhammad Ali. On behalf of all of us at LA 2024, we offer our deepest condolences to Muhammad’s family and friends. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will forever endure.”
From U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun:
“The USOC is deeply saddened to hear that the sports world has lost one of its most iconic figures in Muhammad Ali. As we reflect on his accomplishments and victories, we are proud to call Ali not only a member of Team USA, but an Olympic champion. With unparalleled grit and determination, he left a legacy that will continue to inspire generations of Americans for years to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
From U.S. President Barack Obama:
“Muhammad Ali was The Greatest. Period. If you just asked him, he’d tell you. He’d tell you he was the double greatest; that he’d ‘handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder into jail.’
But what made The Champ the greatest -- what truly separated him from everyone else -- is that everyone else would tell you pretty much the same thing.
Like everyone else on the planet, Michelle and I mourn his passing. But we’re also grateful to God for how fortunate we are to have known him, if just for a while; for how fortunate we all are that The Greatest chose to grace our time.
In my private study, just off the Oval Office, I keep a pair of his gloves on display, just under that iconic photograph of him -- the young champ, just 22 years old, roaring like a lion over a fallen Sonny Liston. I was too young when it was taken to understand who he was -- still Cassius Clay, already an Olympic Gold Medal winner, yet to set out on a spiritual journey that would lead him to his Muslim faith, exile him at the peak of his power, and set the stage for his return to greatness with a name as familiar to the downtrodden in the slums of Southeast Asia and the villages of Africa as it was to cheering crowds in Madison Square Garden.
‘I am America,’ he once declared. ‘I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me -- black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own. Get used to me.’
That’s the Ali I came to know as I came of age -- not just as skilled a poet on the mic as he was a fighter in the ring, but a man who fought for what was right. A man who fought for us. He stood with King and Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn’t. His fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing. It would earn him enemies on the left and the right, make him reviled, and nearly send him to jail. But Ali stood his ground. And his victory helped us get used to the America we recognize today.
He wasn’t perfect, of course. For all his magic in the ring, he could be careless with his words, and full of contradictions as his faith evolved. But his wonderful, infectious, even innocent spirit ultimately won him more fans than foes - maybe because in him, we hoped to see something of ourselves. Later, as his physical powers ebbed, he became an even more powerful force for peace and reconciliation around the world. We saw a man who said he was so mean he’d make medicine sick reveal a soft spot, visiting children with illness and disability around the world, telling them they, too, could become the greatest. We watched a hero light a torch, and fight his greatest fight of all on the world stage once again; a battle against the disease that ravaged his body, but couldn’t take the spark from his eyes.
Muhammad Ali shook up the world. And the world is better for it. We are all better for it. Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family, and we pray that the greatest fighter of them all finally rests in peace.”
From boxer Manny Pacquiao:
“We lost a giant today. Boxing benefitted from Muhammad Ali’s talents but not nearly as much as mankind benefitted from his humanity.”
Social media reactions:
Our father was a "Humble Mountain!" And now he has gone home to God. God bless you daddy. YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!
— Hana Ali (@Hanayali) June 4, 2016
Forever the greatest, forever my hero. Thank you #Ali for inspiring us all to be champions. #RIPMuhammadAli pic.twitter.com/I9v4uBdCZO
— Janet Evans (@janetevans) June 4, 2016
Our thoughts and prayers go out to The Ali Family. Share your memories of Muhammad. https://t.co/0LgTWT60YJ @MuhammadAliTributes
— Muhammad Ali Center (@AliCenter) June 4, 2016
Ali, the G-O-A-T. A giant, an inspiration, a man of peace, a warrior for the cure. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/MCLyJhLC0X
— Michael J. Fox (@realmikefox) June 4, 2016
Muhammad Ali represents and symbolises greatness for all the world over. His name and story will live on forever. RIP!
— Cathy Freeman (@CathyFreeman) June 4, 2016
God came for his champion. So long great one. @MuhammadAli #TheGreatest #RIP pic.twitter.com/jhXyqOuabi
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) June 4, 2016
Ralph Ali, Frazier & Foreman we were 1 guy. A part of me slipped away, "The greatest piece" https://t.co/xVKOc9qtub
— George Foreman (@GeorgeForeman) June 4, 2016
RIP to one of the greatest to ever step in the ring! https://t.co/E4LcmT2ME7
— Roy Jones Jr. (@RealRoyJonesJr) June 4, 2016
He was both brilliant & controversial. He inspired & empowered. We should celebrate his legacy. GOAT. RIP champ. GP pic.twitter.com/BZZNkAbwqb
— GARY PLAYER (@garyplayer) June 4, 2016
God bless Muhammad Ali peace and love to all his family. 😎✌️🌟💖
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) June 4, 2016
The peoples champ. My hero ✊🏾🌟✨🙏🏾🌹 https://t.co/vgPunIjo9O pic.twitter.com/kQQPr6mrBn
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) June 4, 2016
My mind, my heart and soul is devastated. I admired and imitated Ali. We must not forget his conviction and love. https://t.co/QjPj49iCgT
— Carl Lewis (@Carl_Lewis) June 4, 2016
— J Joyner-Kersee (@JJoynerKersee) June 4, 2016
He was my hero and gracious enough to write the foreword for my 1st book Slaying The Dragon. The best! #RIPChamp pic.twitter.com/yicDrJPbZ1
— Michael Johnson (@MJGold) June 4, 2016
He shook up the world, and the world's better for it. Rest in peace, Champ. pic.twitter.com/z1yM3sSLH3
— President Obama (@POTUS44) June 4, 2016
Ali, you were generous every time I met you. Thank you for all you did for so many. Your memory will live on forever #Olympicgold #GOAT
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) June 4, 2016
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPCa7SSxxZ/
GOAT #RIP https://t.co/dcs5GuvQq7
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) June 4, 2016
To honor Muhammad Ali's life & work, flags at all Metro Government facilities will be lowered to half-staff at 10am pic.twitter.com/Qm5xjkk6qr
— Greg Fischer (@GregFischerLou) June 4, 2016
RIP @muhammadali, a legend who transcended sport and was a true champion for all. #thegreatest #MuhammadAli pic.twitter.com/vjmXlXaHip
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) June 4, 2016
Greatest of All Time.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 4, 2016
Inspiration.
Legend.
Rest in Peace Champ.#Ali
Our condolences and our thoughts and prayers go out to all who mourn and are affected by the loss of #MuhammadAli..… https://t.co/wHEtK6vqNF
— Freddie Roach (@FreddieRoach) June 4, 2016
He really was the Greatest of All Time...one of the great honors of my life was to meet him...RIP Champ pic.twitter.com/o86ImzxenJ
— Rowdy Gaines (@RowdyGaines) June 4, 2016
"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life."
— Nadia Comaneci (@nadiacomaneci10) June 4, 2016
Rest in peace champ pic.twitter.com/mwcXlCSUw0
Rest in Peace Muhammad Ali! #legends live forever! Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! The KING of all-time! Olga Korbut.
— Olga Korbut (@OlgaKorbut1) June 4, 2016
No words can describe our sorrow, you were a great soul and will be missed. Our thoughts are w/ the Ali family. pic.twitter.com/eeSHaUAPYS
— USA Boxing (@USABoxing) June 4, 2016
"If my mind can conceive it & my heart can believe it—then I can achieve it." Muhammad Ali taught us all to dream. pic.twitter.com/my6Cdw2p12
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) June 4, 2016
Muhammad Ali thank u for ur beautiful life & for all that u accomplished..u inspired generations of athletes like me pic.twitter.com/4ofTf5mEVn
— Mariel Zagunis (@marielzagunis) June 4, 2016
"I'm so fast, I can turn off the light and hop in the bed before the room gets dark." RIP Muhammad Ali #GOAT
— Larry Wilmore (@larrywilmore) June 4, 2016
RIP, Champ. Thank you for your leadership, your humanity, and love. We are all better because of you. @MuhammadAli
— Mia Hamm (@MiaHamm) June 4, 2016
You'll always be The Greatest for more than just what you did in the ring. A champion to so many people in so many ways.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) June 4, 2016
Goodbye my friend. You were Great in so many ways. https://t.co/4rY68GF8mB
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) June 4, 2016
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGOvhJ1rh1o/
Remembering the good old days with Ali. RIP my brother I will never forget you. #MohammedAli #Legend #TheGreatest pic.twitter.com/TU7UFBGfcj
— Evander Holyfield (@holyfield) June 4, 2016
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGOfSntO7IY/
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) June 4, 2016
A giant among men, Ali displayed a greatness in talent, courage & conviction, that most of us will EVER be able to truly comprehend. #RIPAli
— Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM (@LennoxLewis) June 4, 2016
RIP to the greatest! Ali forever.
— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) June 4, 2016
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGOTCgFx3Sm/
RIP Muhammad Ali...we will miss your spirit and humanity. You were shunned,excoriated and jailed for the same reason that made you a hero...
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) June 4, 2016
VIDEO: Janet Evans relives 1996 Olympic torch handoff to Muhammad Ali