Muhammad Ali was 74. Nicknamed "The Greatest," he held the heavyweight title a record three times, and Sports Illustrated named him the top sportsman of the 20th century.
He became a symbol for black liberation during the 1960s as he stood up to the U.S. government by refusing to go into the Army for religious reasons.
As I wrote on his 70th birthday, there are only a handful of athletes who manage to transcend their respective sports to become true global icons. Muhammad Ali tops that list.
