Muhammad Ali's Daughter Laila Ali Sweetly Remembers Her Late Father

The late Muhammad Ali‘s daughter is putting up a fight to make sure her iconic father is remembered.

In a new exclusive interview with Closer Weekly, Laila Ali opened up about her dad, who sadly died one year ago. “He’ll never be forgotten. People come up to me every day to
talk about my father,” the 39-year-old confided to Closer of the boxing star at the recent Big Fighters, Big Cause Charity Boxing Night in California.

Muhammad and Laila in 2013.

The “Greatest of All Time” passed away on June 3, 2016. “After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,” his rep said in a statement at the time.

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“I miss him but find comfort in knowing that he’s in a better place now,” Laila added of Muhammad. Laila — who is one of the athlete’s nine children — was born in December 1977 to Muhammad and his third ex-wife, Veronica Porché Ali.

Laila will never forget the support received from fans upon Muhammad’s death. “My father, no matter where he would go, he would bring people to tears… so I wasn’t really surprised by the outpouring that there was when he passed away. But it was appreciated that people cared so much,” she told Essence.

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My father passed a year ago today. He sure was something extraordinary…an ANGEL walking on earth! My dad believed that we ALL have something special inside and that you just have to believe in yourself!💜 So thankful and blessed to have his same DNA and so many gifts passed down that have shaped me into the fighter and person that I am! #LOVEMYDAD

A post shared by Laila Ali (@thereallailaali) on Jun 3, 2017 at 10:41am PDT

On the exact anniversary of his death, Laila took to Instagram to honor her father’s legacy. “My father passed a year ago today. He sure was something extraordinary… an ANGEL walking on earth!” she captioned a photo collage of the two of them. “My dad believed that we ALL have something special inside and that you just have to believe in yourself!”

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She continued, “So thankful and blessed to have his same DNA and so many gifts passed down that have shaped me into the fighter and person that I am! #LOVEMYDAD.”

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