Rousing farewell for Muhammad Ali

message from President Barack Obama praised his originality.

The interfaith event took place hours after thousands said farewell as his coffin passed through city streets.

Ali was buried in a private ceremony attended by friends and family.
Media captionJon Sopel reports: "A defining figure of his age...there was no-one quite like Muhammad Ali"
The ex-heavyweight champion and rights activist died last Friday aged 74.
Image copyright EPA Image caption Former President Bill Clinton described Ali as "a free man of faith"
The service, attended by dignitaries and by several thousand people who acquired free tickets, was held at the KFC Yum! Centre.
It started with a Koran reading in Arabic. Imam Hamzah Abdul Malik recited Sura Fosselat, Prostration chapter 41 verses 30-35, which includes the words: "Truly those who say our Lord is God and are righteous, the angels will descend upon them saying have neither fear nor sadness but rather rejoice in this paradise that you have been promised." Local Protestant minister Kevin Cosby said: "Before James Brown said Im black and Im proud, Muhammad Ali said Im black and Im pretty." Rabbi Michael Lerner attacked injustice against black people and Muslims, saying "the way to honour Muhammad Ali is to be Muhammad Ali today - speak out and refuse to follow the path of conformity." Image copyright Reuters Image caption Lonnie Ali, Muhammads wife, said her husband rewrote the rules he didnt like Alis wife Lonnie told the crowd: "If Muhammad didnt like the rules, he rewrote them. His religion, his beliefs, his name were his to fashion, no matter what the cost. Muhammad wants young people of every background to see his life as proof that adversity can make you stronger. It cannot rob you of the power to dream, and to reach your dreams." Former US President Bill Clinton described Ali as "a free man of faith". He said: "I think he decided very young to write his own life story. I think he decided that he would not be ever disempowered. Not his race, not his place, not the expectations of others whether positive or negative would strip from him the power to write his own story." Valerie Jarrett, an aide to President Obama who knew the boxer personally, read a letter from the president describing Ali as "bigger, brighter and more influential than just about anyone in his era... Muhammad Ali was America. Muhammad Ali will always be America. What a man." The president was not there, as he was attending his eldest daughter Malias graduation. Comedian Billy Crystal said: "Thirty-five years after he stopped fighting, [Ali was] still the champion of the world. He was a tremendous bolt of lightning created by Mother Nature. Muhammad Ali struck us in the middle of Americas darkest night and his intense light shone on America and we were able to see clearly."
Look back at the life of the ultimate fighter
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The pallbearers, including Mike Tyson and Will Smith, loaded the coffin into the hearse for the procession Image copyright AP Image caption Well-wishers threw flowers onto the hearse Image copyright AP Image caption A Louisville city bus displays the words "Ali - The Greatest" Image copyright AP Image caption A Muhammad Ali action figure sits on the seat of a bicycle as fans await the funeral procession
Among those attending the service were King Abdullah of Jordan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Thursdays prayer ceremony and had been due at the service, but cut short his visit to the US. The reasons for his departure are not clear, though there are reports of differences with the funerals organisers.

The motorcade procession began at about 10:35 local time (14:35 GMT), more than an hour behind schedule, and took the coffin past Alis childhood home, then the Ali Center, the Center for African American Heritage and then down Muhammad Ali Boulevard.

Onlookers lining the roadside waved, took photos and chanted "Ali, Ali" as a cortege led by the hearse carrying his coffin drove through the downtown area.
Image copyright AP
The man who changed his sport and his country

No sportsman has touched more lives

Obituary: Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali in his own words

What made him so great?

61 fights

over a professional career lasting 21 years

56 wins

including 37 knockouts

3 times crowned World Heavyweight Champion

1 Light-heavyweight Olympic gold medal

31 straight wins before being beaten by Joe Frazier
Getty
In 1964, Ali famously converted to Islam, changing his name from Cassius Clay, which he called his "slave name".

He first joined the Nation of Islam, a controversial black separatist movement, before later converting to mainstream Islam.

In his boxing career, he fought a total of 61 times as a professional, losing five times and winning 37 bouts by knockout.
Media captionBarack Obama on Muhammad Ali: "In my book hell always be the greatest" Media caption"Ali meant I could be who I am" Media captionMuhammad Ali: Benjamin Zephaniahs ode to legendary boxer
Soon after he retired, rumours began to circulate about the state of his health.

Parkinsons Syndrome was eventually diagnosed but Ali continued to make public appearances, receiving warm welcomes wherever he travelled.

He lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Games in Atlanta and carried the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony for the 2012 Games in London.

He was crowned "Sportsman of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Sports Personality of the Century" by the BBC.

Rousing farewell for Muhammad Ali