Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.

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Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.
Born
Cassius Marcellus Clay

(1912-11-11)November 11, 1912
Jefferson County, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedFebruary 8, 1990(1990-02-08) (aged 77)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation(s)Painter, musician
Spouse
Odessa Grady
​
(m. 1934)​
ChildrenMuhammad Ali
Rahaman Ali

Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. (November 11, 1912 – February 8, 1990) was an American painter and musician. He was the father of three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali and Rahaman Ali, and the paternal grandfather of Laila Ali. He married Odessa Lee O'Grady in 1934 and worked as a painter. He was described as "a handsome, mercurial, noisy, combative failed dreamer"[1] and a "hard-drinking, skirt-chasing dandy of a daddy".[2] His son Muhammad Ali described him as "the fanciest dancer in Louisville".[3]

Biography

Clay was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Herman H. Clay (March 1876 – February 1, 1954) and Edith E. Greathouse (December 1889 – December 30, 1972[4]). He was named in honor of the 19th-century Republican politician and staunch abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. He had a sister and four brothers, including Nathaniel Clay.[5][6] Clay's paternal grandparents were John Clay and Sallie Anne Clay. His sister Eva said that Sallie was a native of Madagascar.[7] According to DNA research, Muhammad Ali's paternal grandmother was Archer Alexander's (1816–1880) great-granddaughter.[8]

Clay painted

Muslim as his son had done, he said: "my religion is my talent, that which supports me."[12]

Clay died at the age of 77 on February 8, 1990, after suffering a heart attack while leaving a department store in Kentucky.[6]

Legacy

Clay was portrayed by Arthur Adams in the 1977 film

Oscar-nominated film Ali.[13]

References

  1. ^ Lipsyte, Robert (March 7, 1971). "I Don't Have to Be What You Want Me to Be". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  2. ^ "Ali". The Guardian. London. November 2, 2003. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  3. ISBN 0-394-53912-5
    .
  4. ^ "Ancestry of Muhammad Ali". Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  5. ^ "Barber Can Relax Hair". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 15, 1997. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  6. ^ a b "Cassius Marcellus Clay., Former Champion's Father, 77". Associated Press in The New York Times. February 10, 1990. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  7. ^ Egerton (1991), p. 134
  8. ^ DNA evidence links Muhammad Ali to heroic slave, family says Archived 2019-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Ben Strauss, Washington Post, October 2, 2018
  9. Time magazine. March 22, 1963. Archived from the original
    on August 24, 2013. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  10. ^ Egerton, John (September 28, 1980). "Ali's Kentucky Roots". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  11. ^ "Growing Up Scared in Louisville". Sports Illustrated. April 18, 1966. Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  12. Jet magazine
    . Johnson Publishing Company. November 12, 1970. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  13. The Internet Movie Database. Archived
    from the original on 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2009-09-04.

External links
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