Black Royalty: The day Muhammad Ali met Prince

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

The world has lost its greatest, Muhammad Ali. It was just six weeks ago that the we lost Prince, and Muhammad Ali took to Twitter to offer his tribute to the music icon.

-Muhammad Ali, Dead At 74, Forever The Greatest

Ali wrote: “We’ve lost a true original. @Prince was someone who cared for others & used his genius to help many.”

‘The Greatest’ had the opportunity to meet ‘the Artist Formerly Known as Prince’ — as he was known at that time — face to face in June of 1997. The two joined forces to promote tolerance and understanding, which were the focus of Ali’s book: HEALING: A Journal of Tolerance and Understanding.

-Obamas On Ali’s Passing: “He Was The Greatest. Period”

Prince was no doubt a fan of the boxing legend and described getting a call to work with his childhood hero.

“My friend called me a couple of days ago and asked me. He said, Muhammad wants you to —  and I said ‘Yes.’ I didn’t even let him finish. He could have said ‘mow the lawn,’ and I would have been down with it. Muhammad’s my hero. He has been since I was a child. As you can see, he’s such an inspiration to many people,” Prince said at the press conference with Ali by his side.

Both of these men will always be remembered as royalty.

 

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