Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. Explained

Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.
Birth Name:Cassius Marcellus Clay
Birth Date:November 11, 1912
Birth Place:Jefferson County, Kentucky, U.S.
Death Place:Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation:Painter, musician
Children:Muhammad Ali
Rahaman Ali

Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. (November 11, 1912  - February 8, 1990) was an American painter and musician. He was the father of three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali and Rahaman Ali, and the paternal grandfather of Laila Ali. He married Odessa Lee O'Grady in 1934 and worked as a painter. He was described as "a handsome, mercurial, noisy, combative failed dreamer"[1] and a "hard-drinking, skirt-chasing dandy of a daddy".[2] His son Muhammad Ali described him as "the fanciest dancer in Louisville".[3]

Biography

Clay was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Herman H. Clay (March 1876 – February 1, 1954) and Edith E. Greathouse (December 1889 – December 30, 1972[4]). He was named in honor of the 19th-century Republican politician and staunch abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. He had a sister and four brothers, including Nathaniel Clay.[5] [6] Clay's paternal grandparents were John Clay and Sallie Anne Clay. His sister Eva said that Sallie was a native of Madagascar.[7] According to DNA research, Muhammad Ali's paternal grandmother was Archer Alexander's (1816–1880) great-granddaughter.[8]

Clay painted billboards and signs.[9] He also played the piano, took piano lessons and wrote music. Around 1933, he married Odessa Lee O'Grady.[10] He was a heavy drinker, which led to legal entanglements for reckless driving, disorderly conduct, and assault and battery.[11] When asked in 1970 why he had not become a Muslim as his son had done, he said: "my religion is my talent, that which supports me."[12]

Clay died at the age of 77 on February 8, 1990, after suffering a heart attack while leaving a department store in Kentucky.[6]

Legacy

Clay was portrayed by Arthur Adams in the 1977 film The Greatest and by Giancarlo Esposito in the 2001 Oscar-nominated film Ali.[13]

References

Notes and References

  1. News: Robert . Lipsyte . I Don't Have to Be What You Want Me to Be . . March 7, 1971 . 2009-09-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180723093406/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/07/archives/-i-dont-have-to-be-what-you-want-me-to-be-says-muhammad-ali.html . July 23, 2018 . live .
  2. News: Ali . . November 2, 2003 . 2009-09-04 . London . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604000117/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1072708,00.html . June 4, 2011 . live .
  3. Book: Lee Eisenberg . Fifty who made the difference . 0-394-53912-5 . Lee Eisenberg. September 1984.
  4. Web site: Ancestry of Muhammad Ali . 2007-10-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071022045918/http://wargs.com/other/ali.html . 2007-10-22 . live .
  5. News: Barber Can Relax Hair . . October 15, 1997 . 2009-09-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025011348/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB32F2545452CEB&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM . October 25, 2012 . live .
  6. News: Cassius Marcellus Clay., Former Champion's Father, 77 . . February 10, 1990 . 2009-09-04 .
  7. Egerton (1991), p. 134
  8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/02/dna-evidence-links-muhammad-ali-heroic-slave-family-says/ DNA evidence links Muhammad Ali to heroic slave, family says
  9. News: The Dream . . March 22, 1963 . 2009-09-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130824040909/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,896687,00.html . August 24, 2013 . dead .
  10. News: John . Egerton . Ali's Kentucky Roots . . September 28, 1980 . 2009-09-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180630133235/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/09/28/archives/heritage-of-a-heavyweight-alis-kentucky-roots.html . June 30, 2018 . live .
  11. Growing Up Scared in Louisville . . April 18, 1966 . 2009-09-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140127091423/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1078435/index.htm . January 27, 2014.
  12. News: Words of the week . . November 12, 1970 . Johnson Publishing Company. 2009-09-04 .
  13. Web site: Ali (2001) . 2009-09-04 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090213114113/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0248667/fullcredits#cast . 2009-02-13 . live .

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