Muhammad Ali and Elvis Presley were two of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields. Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer, and Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, met in the 1960s and quickly became friends.Ali and Presley met several times over the years, often spending time together during Ali’s visits to Las Vegas and Graceland (Presley’s home in Memphis, Tennessee).
They exchanged gifts as a sign of their friendship. One well-known instance was when Elvis gifted Ali with a robe that had the words “The People’s Champion” embroidered on it.
“We black people are kinda funny about music,” Ali told the crowd of Elvis fans. “We aren’t going to follow someone unless they’ve got soul – Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Michael Jackson – but the only white boy that had soul, who could sing as good as any of them was Elvis… He had singing ability, he had everything – he was pretty, I know. And when it comes to boxing, nobody has the class, the style, the wit, the speed, the beauty of Ali. And when it comes to singing, nobody had everything like Elvis… I’ll tell the world, Elvis was the greatest of all time.”
Muhammad Ali with Jack Soden at the Meditation Garden at Graceland, 1985
Vernon, the colonel Muhammad Ali Graceland 1978. Ali visited his friends grave.
