Bill and Hillary Clinton React to Muhammad Ali's Death: He Was 'Even Greater Than His Legend
RIP little butterfly
http://www.people.com/article/muhammad-ali-dead-bill-hillary-clinton-statement
Bill and Hillary Clinton React to Muhammad Ali's Death: He Was 'Even Greater Than His Legend'
By Adam Carlson @acarlson91
06/04/2016 AT 09:30 AM EDT
Soon after Muhammad Ali's death Friday at 74, former President Bill Clinton and wife Hillary Clinton paid tribute to the boxing legend as a friend, a man of powerful convictions and as "a blend of beauty and grace, speed and strength that may never be matched again."
"Hillary and I are saddened by the passing of Muhammad Ali," Bill, 69, said in an overnight statement to PEOPLE.
Bill and Hillary Clinton React to Muhammad Ali's Death: He Was 'Even Greater Than His Legend'| Death, Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Muhammad Ali
From left: Muhammad Ali and Bill Clinton on Nov. 19, 2005.
JEFF HAYNES / AFP / Getty
He continued, "We watched him grow from the brash self-confidence of youth and success into a manhood full of religious and political convictions that led him to make tough choices and live with the consequences.
"Along the way we saw him courageous in the ring, inspiring to the young, compassionate to those in need, and strong and good-humored in bearing the burden of his own health challenges.
In his statement, Bill also called out the connections between Ali's career in the '90s and his own time as president: "I was honored to award him the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House, to watch him light the Olympic flame, and to forge a friendship with a man who, through triumph and trials, became even greater than his legend."
Bill and Hillary Clinton React to Muhammad Ali's Death: He Was 'Even Greater Than His Legend'| Death, Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Muhammad Ali
From left: Bill Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton on Dec. 31, 1999.
Marshall / Getty
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Wonderful pic of all of them~