Obama won’t attend Muhammad Ali funeral

US president Barack Obama will miss Muhammad Ali’s funeral on Friday due to a clash with his daughter’s high school graduation.

Obama and his wife Michelle will be in Washington for their daughter Malia’s ceremony, a spokeswoman for the president said.

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, who knew Ali, will deliver a letter from the Obamas to the late boxer’s family.

Family spokesman Bob Gunnell said Ali’s widow Lonnie spoke to Obama over the phone and appreciated his “kind words and condolences.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah II of Jordan will be at the service, which will be open to the public and streamed live on the internet.

Up to 15,000 people are expected to attend the funeral at Freedom Hall, which follows a procession through the streets of the boxer’s home town of Louisville.

Ali died last Friday at the age of 74 in Phoenix, Arizona. The three-time world champion had been admitted to hospital earlier in the week with a respiratory condition, having suffered with Parkinson’s disease for 32 years.

Source: Russia Today (RT)