Muhammad Ali

Playful till the End

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

He may have been one of the top five most frequently photographed human beings. He certainly was that when he was active in his career.

The answer to the potential trivia question, “Who took the final formal photographs of Muhammad Ali?” is Zenon Texeira, a young British photographer who was sent by The Daily Mail to Ali’s home in Scottsdale, Arizona, in March. Ali and his family welcomed him into their home, and Ali sat for a 45-minute photo shoot.
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Dylan, Ali, an Apple

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee—his hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.”—Muhammad Ali, of course

Today is our first day without Muhammad Ali. If the world seems to be off its axis today, I would point to that sad fact.

The photo at top is from the great photographer Ken Regan, who took it backstage at Madison Square Garden on December 8, 1975. Bob Dylan had brought his Rolling Thunder Revue to New York City and Ali joined the parade of well-wishers.

Regan wrote, “Ali had brought Bob a giant boxing glove that was about as big as Bob; just the right, spontaneous, quirky touch that captured the spirit of the Rolling Thunder Revue.” You can see the pair of gloves and a silk robe on the bench between them. Ali is finishing off an apple and Dylan appears almost kid-like in glee. Even Bob Dylan seemed to regard Muhammad Ali as “really famous.”
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