Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. | |
|---|---|
 Clay (right) with his wife and sons in 1960 | |
| Born | Cassius Marcellus Clay (1912-11-11)November 11, 1912 |
| Died | February 8, 1990(1990-02-08) (aged 77) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupations | Painter, musician |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
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 ChampionMuhammad Ali andRahaman Ali, and the paternal grandfather ofLaila Ali. He marriedOdessa Lee O'Grady in 1934 and worked as apainter. 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 inJefferson 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 Kentucky-born Republican politician and staunch abolitionistCassius 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 ofMadagascar.[7] According to DNA research,Muhammad Ali's paternal grandmother wasArcher Alexander's (1816–1880) great-granddaughter.[8]
Clay paintedbillboards andsigns.[9] He also played the piano, took piano lessons and wrote music. Around 1933, he marriedOdessa 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 aMuslim 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 aheart attack while leaving a department store in Kentucky.[6]
Clay was portrayed by Arthur Adams in the 1977 filmThe Greatest and byGiancarlo Esposito in the 2001Oscar-nominated filmAli.[13]
