Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. | |
---|---|
Born | Cassius Marcellus Clay November 11, 1912 |
Died | February 8, 1990
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | (aged 77)
Occupation(s) | Painter, musician |
Spouse | |
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]
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]
Clay was portrayed by Arthur Adams in the 1977 film The Greatest and by Giancarlo Esposito in the 2001 Oscar-nominated film Ali. [13]