Watch Muhammad Ali’s Funeral Live Online: Full Streaming Video Of Friday’s Service In Louisville
Viewers can watch Muhammad Ali’s funeral live online and see the three-time heavyweight champion laid to rest before what will be a capacity crowd of mourners in Louisville, including celebrities and dignitaries from the worlds of entertainment and sports.
Ali died last week at age 74, and on Thursday he was remembered in a traditional Muslim prayer service in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. There is an interfaith memorial service planned for Friday that will include representatives from a number of faiths, including Judaism and Christianity, CBS News reported.
Live streaming video of Muhammad Ali’s funeral will begin in the morning, with a procession through the streets of Louisville starting at 9 a.m. The public memorial service will start at 2 p.m.
Ali’s funeral will be broadcast live on ESPN and also available online for those unable to get to a television (streaming video of Ali’s funeral can be found below).
Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream
Those who watch Muhammad Ali’s funeral live online will see a service crafted largely by the champion himself. Ali and close friends began planning years ago for how he would be remembered, CBS News noted.
“Ali and his innermost circle started a document years ago that grew so thick they began calling it ‘The Book.’ In the pages, the boxing great planned in exacting detail how he wished to say goodbye to the world.
“‘The message that we’ll be sending out is not our message — this was really designed by The Champ himself,’ said Timothy Gianotti, an Islamic studies scholar who for years helped to plan the services.
“The love and the reverence and the inclusivity that we’re going to experience over the coming days is really a reflection of his message to the people of planet Earth.”
The funeral will include a eulogy from Bill Clinton, a longtime friend of Muhammad Ali.
There were 15,000 tickets available for the event which were given away within one hour on Wednesday, leading to a black market that included tickets being sold for up to $100 on Craigslist.
People scalping tickets to Muhammad Ali’s funeral are the worst: https://t.co/phxpE3sqJj pic.twitter.com/Nm13dPtmRO
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) June 9, 2016
The sale of the tickets led to a public statement from Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell, who told People magazine that the illegal scalping went against the wishes of Ali. He wanted all people to be able to attend, not just celebrities and the rich.
“It is deplorable that some people are trying to profit off of the solemn service as we celebrate the life of Muhammad Ali. I hope that those buying tickets or trying to buy tickets would stop those efforts by not purchasing. Muhammad Ali wanted this to be a free event, an event that was open to all.”
There will be many more celebrities on hand, including actor Will Smith, who portrayed the boxing champion in the 2001 movie Ali. Smith will also serve as a pallbearer along with former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. Other dignitaries will be on hand including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Ali to be honored with Muslim funeral service – Reuters https://t.co/DJULUSKxzW
— Muslim report (@Muslimreport) June 9, 2016
President Barack Obama will not be on hand, as the funeral service conflicts with his daughter Malia’s high school graduation.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said despite the celebrities the event is drawing, the service is about one person: Muhammad Ali.
“This is one thing we’re telling these dignitaries: ‘This is for Ali. And if you want to come and be secondary to that, come to our city. But if you want to come and be treated like you’re somebody special, the only person that’s special this week is Muhammad Ali,” said Fischer, via PBS.
Those who want to watch Muhammad Ali’s funeral live online can also find streaming video by clicking here.
[Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images]
