DHAKA: Muhammad Ali, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion is no more. 

Ali died at the age of 74. He lasted his breath at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications, NBCNEWS reports on Saturday (June 4).

‘After a 32-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died last evening,’ Bob Gunnell, a family spokesman, told NBC News.

Ali had suffered for three decades from Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological condition that slowly robbed him of both his legendary verbal grace and his physical dexterity. A funeral service is planned in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

Even as his health declined, Ali did not shy from politics or controversy, releasing 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.

BDST: 1047 HRS, June 4, 2016
SAS/AKA