After the all-time favorite boxer left behind a disparate family, Muhammad Ali's $80 million fortune could now become the subject of a legal wrangle. Born to his second wife Belinda Boyd, Ali has the only known biological son, living in poverty in Chicago's crime-plagued South Side.
The boxer's 44-year old son, Muhammad Ali Jr., has constantly criticized Lonnie Ali. In recent years, Ali Jr. has blamed the champion's fourth wife for cutting him out of his father's life during his twilight years according to a report on News About. He further argued that the boxer saw his two granddaughters for only a time because of Lonnie's interference. The champion's son during interviews strongly claimed that Lonnie cannot change his father's will and that she can never change where the champ wants all his money to go.
The bitterness Ali Junior felt seemed to have abated around the time of his father's death. At the hospital, Junior joined his sisters, half-sisters, and even his adopted brother Asaad Amin Ali. The boxer's brother Rahaman Ali, 72, was also at the hospital.
Rahaman said some of Ali's final words after seeing him for the last time in the hospital. "He said to me, shaking, 'Rahaman, how do I look?' I said 'Even with all that shaking you look the same to me," Rahaman said as cited on Telegraph. "He said to me 'I'm in no pain. No pain. Don't cry for me Rahaman. l'm going to be with Allah. I made peace with God, I'm OK," Rahaman further added.
A spokesman for the family, Bob Gunnell, said that the relatives of the champion had shown "dignity" in putting aside any squabbles just to be by the bedside at the Osborn Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. "It was a beautiful thing to watch which displayed all that was good about Muhammad Ali. The champ would have been very proud of his family," Gunnell said in a statement.
On Monday, the champion had been rushed to a hospital after which Ali's condition deteriorated. The official cause of his death was septic shock because of some unspecified natural causes.
Muhammad Ali lived nearby with his wife Lonnie in a modest $2.1 million six bedroom bungalow on a gated estate which is made up of seventy-two residences. The champion's estate is not likely to benefit from the kind of money-spinning merchandising legacies of other celebrities such as Prince or Michael Jackson.
Ali sold 80% of the rights to his image for $50 million in 2006. These include the rights to trademarks like Thrilla In Manila," like "Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee," and "Greatest Of All Time".
At present, these rights are owned by the same company that licenses the images of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. The family, nevertheless, still has input into how the champion's image is used and has been very selective concerning licensing deals.
