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Laila Ali remembers dad Muhammad with touching family photo

Written by . Published: June 06 2016

Muhammad Ali's daughter Laila has broken her silence following her father's death on Friday (03Jun16), with a sweet family photo and caption.


The 38-year-old boxer and TV personality, who is Ali’s youngest daughter, posted a shot of her late dad and son Curtis in a Louis Vuitton print ad on Facebook, writing, "My son and my father".


The sports legend died from septic shock due to unspecified natural causes at the age of 74, days after he was hospitalised for respiratory complications following a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.


Hours before he passed, Laila thanked fans for their support, tweeting: "Thank for all the love and well wishes. I feel your love and appreciate it."


Shortly after his death, several of the boxing champ’s nine children paid tribute to him on social media.


Ali's daughter Hana tweeted, “Our hearts are literally hurting. But We are so happy daddy is free now... All of his organs failed but his HEART wouldn't stop beating. For 30 minutes... his heart just keep beating (sic). No one had ever seen anything like it. A true testament to the strength of his Spirit and Will!"


And Muhammad’s youngest child, son Asaad Amin, posted a throwback shot of his late dad on Instagram, adding the caption: "No one will ever touch this earth the way you did... Rest easy Dad and continue to look over me sincerely."


Over the weekend celebrity friends and fans offered up their thoughts and fond farewells, with Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood and Liam Neeson adding their tributes.


Longtime fan Bob Dylan posted his thoughts on his website, writing: "If the measure of greatness is to gladden the heart of every human being on the face of the earth, then he truly was the greatest. In every way he was the bravest, the kindest and the most excellent of men."


Eastwood told TMZ, "He was one of the great athletes. I knew him well... The first time I ever met him on the (Johnny) Carson show in New York... He told me to give him that look like on the films and say, 'You've got 10 minutes to get out of town!' and I couldn't do it (because) I was laughing (so much)."


And actor Neeson offered a statement which read: "He was my hero from when I was a young amateur boxer, and schoolboy, back in Ireland. I'll never forget hearing that he had beaten the unbeatable Sonny Liston.


"It was 1964 and it was a cold wet February in Ballymena. As I walked to school that morning, my feet didn't seem to touch the ground: my mind was an excited blur, because somehow the world had changed with that victory."


Other celebrity tributes came from Mike Tyson, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, and President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.


The boxing great's funeral will be held on Friday (10Jun16) in his native Louisville, Kentucky. Former President Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal and journalist Bryant Gumbel will deliver eulogies at the ceremony, which will be open to the public.

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