Cassius Marcellus Cley 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]
Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cassius Marcellus Clay November 11, 1912 |
| Died | February 8, 1990 (aged 77) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Painter, musician |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Muhammad Ali Rahaman Ali |
Biography
editClay 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 billboards and signs.[9] He also played the piano, took piano lessons and wrote music. Around 1933, he married Odessa Lee O'Grady.[10] He was a heavy drinker, which led to legal entanglements for reckless driving, disorderly conduct, and assault and battery.[11] When asked in 1970 why he had not become a 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
editClay was portrayed by Arthur Adams in the 1977 film The Greatest and by Giancarlo Esposito in the 2001 Oscar-nominated film Ali.[13]
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "Ali". The Guardian. London. November 2, 2003. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ Lee Eisenberg (September 1984). Fifty who made the difference. ISBN 0-394-53912-5.
- ^ "Ancestry of Muhammad Ali". Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
- ^ "Barber Can Relax Hair". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 15, 1997. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ a b "Cassius Marcellus Clay., Former Champion's Father, 77". Associated Press in The New York Times. February 10, 1990. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ Egerton (1991), p. 134
- ^ 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
- ^ "The Dream". Time magazine. March 22, 1963. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Growing Up Scared in Louisville". Sports Illustrated. April 18, 1966. Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ "Words of the week". Jet magazine. Johnson Publishing Company. November 12, 1970. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- ^ "Ali (2001)". The Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 2009-02-13. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
- Egerton, John (1991). Shades of Gray: Dispatches from the Modern South. LSU Press. ISBN 0807117056. Retrieved 2012-10-23.