Those hoping for one last opportunity to witness or be in the presence of greatness will have that chance Friday when Muhammad Ali is memorialized in a public service that will be held at the KFC Yum! Center in Ali's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
The three-time world heavyweight champion, who passed late Friday at the age of 74, died of septic shock "due to unspecified natural causes," family spokesman Bob Gunnell told CBS News. Ali died in a Phoenix-area hospital at 9:10 p.m. with family and friends surrounding his bedside. Ali was initially hospitalized with respiratory problems earlier in the week, but his condition worsened until his death.
Ali, a so-called "citizen of the world" whose fame and cultural impact extended far beyond the world of boxing into politics, religion and civil rights, will be eulogized by three well-known men, including a former president and member of sports media.
President Bill Clinton, comedian Billy Crystal and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel will all take the stage to share memories of Ali in front of Louisville and presumably the world.
Actor Will Smith, who portrayed Ali in 2001's "Ali," and former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Lennox Lewis will both be pallbearers at the funeral.
The funeral ceremony, which will begin at 2 p.m. ET, will be available via live stream over the internet. The interfaith service will also be translated into a number of languages.
"Everything that we are doing here was blessed by Muhammad Ali -- and was requested. He wanted the memorial service to reflect his life and how he lived. he wanted everyone to be able to attend. He was the People's Champ. He wanted that memorial service to reflect that," Gunnell explained Monday.
There will be 15,000 tickets available for the memorial; they can be claimed by the general public beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
CBS Sports will share additional details of how to watch Ali's memorial service once they are available.
