Muhammad Ali, boxing great and cultural symbol, dead at age 74
Former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, whose record-setting boxing career, unprecedented flair for showmanship, and controversial stands made him one of the best-known figures of the 20th century, died on Friday aged 74. Ali's death was confirmed in a statement issued by family spokesman Bob Gunnell late Friday evening, a day after he was admitted to a Phoenix-area hospital with a respiratory ailment. Ali had long suffered from Parkinson&039;s syndrome, which impaired his speech and made the once-graceful athlete almost a prisoner in his own body.
