BOXING
BOXING CHAMP AND HIS WIFE LONNIE ALI, ARM IN ARM, FIGHTING PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND
RAISING
OUR SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS.
WHILE THEY LIVED THEIR LIVES IN
PUBLIC,
FEWER PEOPLE SAW THEIR PRIVATE
LIVES
LIVES
AND
AND THE
AND THE GREAT LOVE THEY SHARED FOR ONE ANOTHER. LONNIE ALI WILL MARK THEIR
30-YEAR ANNIVERSARY THIS WEEK...
TONIGHT, SHE'S SHARING THEIR
LOVE
STORY WITH OUR RACHEL PLATT.
MUHAMMAD
MUHAMMAD ALI BELONGED TO THE WORLD, BUT HIS HEART AND SOUL FOREVER LINKED WITH LONNIE ALI.
MARRIED 30 YEARS AGO THIS
THURSDAY -- THIS PICTURE FROM
THEIR WEDDING.
WE'VE HEARD LONNIE TALK ABOUT
ALI, THE
MAN AND HIS LEGACY, NOW SHE'S
SHARING
STORIES ABOUT HIM AS THE LOVE OF
HER LIFE.
HER LIFE.
HIS
HIS IMPACT ON HER SO PROFOUND, SHE JUST KNEW AT SOME POINT THEY WOULD MARRY.
WOULD MARRY.
SHE
SHE KNEW
SHE KNEW HIM HER ENTIRE LIFE -- FIRST SEEING HIM WHEN SHE WAS JUST SIX YEARS
OLD.
OLD. 13:29:46 IT WAS A MEMORY SO IMPRINTED ON ME.
A THEN CASSIUS CLAY READY TO
MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF, OFTEN
VISITING HIS PARENT'S
HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM
LONNIE'S.
ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY IN MAY OF
1963, A
PIG TAILED LONNIE JUST RETURNING
FROM
SCHOOL, PEERING OUT THE FRONT
DOOR
DOOR TO
DOOR TO SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS WAS ABOUT. HE WOULD SEE LONNIE, AND TOLD
HER
HER
BROTHERS
BROTHERS TO BRING HER OUTSIDE, TO BE PART OF THE FUN.
THOSE MOMENTS CAPTURED IN THIS
PICTURE -- MOMENTS LONNIE NOW
TREASURES.
TREASURES.
SO
SO MANY
SO MANY PICTURES OF HER HUSBAND TO CHOOSE FROM.
CHOOSE FROM.
BOYISH
BOYISH MAYBE, BUT IT'S NOT LOST ON LONNIE, THAT HER HUSBAND WAS ONE HANDSOME
MAN.
MAN.
THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS ONE OF LONNIE'S FAVORITE PICTURES OF THEM TOGETHER, SHE WAS
ALWAYS BY HIS SIDE, BUT
PREFERRED NOT
TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT. BUT HAVE
NO DOUBT, SHE WAS AND IS A
WOMAN ON A MISSION.
LONNIE A FIRM BELIEVER THAT GOD
HAD HIS HAND ON ALI, AND SHE WAS
HERE TO
HELP SUPPORT THAT MISSION.
LONNIE
LONNIE THE KEEPER AND PROTECTOR OF HER HUSBAND'S LEGACY, STILL HIS
VOICE.
VOICE.
LIVING
LIVING LIFE WITH PURPOSE, AND SPREADING ALI'S MESSAGE OF LOVE AND
COMPASSION.
AND COMPASSION. BUT AS A WIDOW, SHE'S STILL
MAKING
ADJUSTMENTS, ANOTHER HURDLE THIS
THURSDAY -- ON WHAT WOULD HAVE
BEEN
THEIR 30TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.
BECAUSE
BECAUSE LIKE HER HUSBAND, LONNIE KNOWS SHE'S HERE FOR A REASON TOO.
TOO.
TO
TO BE
TO BE AN
TO BE AN EXTENSION OF WHO HE WAS -- AND TO DO THINGS THE ALI WAY.
IT
IT WAS
IT WAS MUHAMMAD'S WAY, NOW IT'S HER WAY. LONNIE CARRYING ON -- JUST AS
HER HUSBAND, HER SOUL MATE,
WOULD HAVE WANTED.
THE ALI LEGACY STILL UNFOLDING,
BOTH
BOTH MUHAMMAD'S -- AND LONNIE'S. RACHEL PLATT, WHAS11 NEWS.
MANY OF THOSE PICTURES IN
RACHEL'S STORY CAME FROM THE COURIER-JOURNAL AND THE ALI
CENTER.
CENTER.
AND
AND THIS
AND THIS THURSDAY WOULD HAVE BEEN THEIR 30TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY -
IF YOU
IF YOU
WOULD
WOULD LIKE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO LONNIE, OR A PIECE OF
ADVICE AFTER LOSING A SPOUSE,
VISIT THE
WHAS11 FACEBOOK PAGE TO SHARE
YOUR
THOUGHTS.
YOUR THOUGHTS.