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Clintons, Sanders honor Muhammad Ali

by Elliot Smilowitz - 06/04/16 7:34 AM ET

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders honored boxing legend Muhammad Ali late Friday night, shortly after his death at 74.

Former President Bill Clinton’s office released a statement on behalf of both Clintons mourning the loss.

{mosads}“We watched him grow from the brash self-confidence of youth and success into a manhood full of religious and political convictions that led him to make tough choices and live with the consequences,” the statement read.

“Along the way we saw him courageous in the ring, inspiring to the young, compassionate to those in need, and strong and good-humored in bearing the burden of his own health challenges,” it added.

“I was honored to award him the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House, to watch him light the Olympic flame, and to forge a friendship with a man who, through triumph and trials, became even greater than his legend. Our hearts go out to Lonnie, his children, and his entire family.”

The Sanders campaign released a short statement reading: “Muhammad Ali was the greatest, not only an extraordinary athlete but a man of great courage and humanity.”

Ali died late Friday near Phoenix, Ariz.

He had been admitted to hospital for respiratory problems that were exacerbated by Parkinson’s Disease, according to the Associated Press. The boxer had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the 1980s.

Tags Bernie Sanders Bill Clinton Hillary Clinton