Tom Morello Remembers Brief Encounter With Muhammad Ali in Tribute
Tributes continue to pour in for boxing legend Muhammad Ali from everyone from fellow athletes to politicians like Barack Obama to artists like Paul McCartney. Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello also remembered the boxing legend following Ali’s death Friday at the age of 74 by sharing an anecdote about his brief encounter with Ali when he was a child.
“I met Muhammad Ali on an Air Jamaica flight when I was 9,” Morello wrote. “He said over the intercom: ‘I’m Muhammad Ali and I’m flying this airplane. But don’t worry cause I’m the greatest at flying airplanes too. Now, I’m sure you all want my autograph so I’m gonna come down the aisle and sign all your stuff.’ And he did. I have the signed Air Jamaica ticket to this day.
It wasn’t just the boxer’s humor and skills in the ring that resonated with Morello: The Prophets of Rage guitarist also applauded Ali’s social activism and for the unwavering way he stood up for what he believed in.
“Muhammad Ali did the rarest of things; he fearlessly blended his convictions with his vocation,” Morello wrote. “How many in the public eye today dare do the same? Few. He stood up against racism, American imperialism and told the powers that be to shove it, damn the consequences. Ali spoke for the downtrodden and dispossessed. He spoke truth to power and with great humor, charisma and depthless talent was truly The People’s Champion.”
In other Morello news, Governors Ball revealed that Prophets of Rage will stage a surprise-until-now set Sunday night at the New York festival.
We remember Muhammad Ali in his own words of wisdom and bravado. Watch here.