15:23

The Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell has been speaking in Scottsdale, Arizona, discussing arrangements for the great boxer’s funeral.

All of Ali’s family members had a day to say their final goodbyes, Gunnell said, adding that it was “a beautiful thing to watch which displayed all that was good about Muhammad Ali”.

“The Champ would have been very proud of his family,” he added.

Ali was hospitalized on Monday night, Gunnell said, in fair condition. That was expected to continue as it had before, leading to improvement, only for it to become clear “in the last 24 hours” that he would not improve. Ali’s official time of death, Gunnell said, was 9.10pm MST on Friday, and the cause of death was septic shock due to unspecified natural causes. He did not suffer.

Before discussing Ali’s death, Gunnell detailed plans for Ali’s funeral, which was planned with Ali’s involvement and will be an interfaith service lead by a Muslim imam.

“Muhammad Ali was truly the people’s champion,” Gunnell said, adding that the celebration will therefore be open to everyone. “Lonnie [Ali’s wife] and the entire family invite everyone to join them for the celebration in Muhammad Ali’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.”

Ali’s body will return to Kentucky from Arizona in 24- to 48-hours time, Gunnell said, with family members accompanying him. The celebration of his life will begin on Thursday with a private family ceremony. The next morning, Friday, the family will gather at the funeral home, where they will be joined by the imam presiding.

There will then be a procession through streets of Louisville, he continued, “to allow anyone who is there from the world to celebrate with him”. Ali’s body will pass by the Muhammad Ali Center and the procession will then travel down the street named after him, Muhammad Ali Boulevard. It will follow the route of the parade that greeted Ali, then Cassius Clay, home from the Rome Olympics in 1960, and end at Cave Hill cemetery for a private interment ceremony.

At 2pm a memorial service will begin. It will be interfaith, directed by an imam but including clerics from a number of religions. The “funeral plans were done years ago by Mr Ali, who discussed them personally”, Gunnell said.

Former senator Orrin Hatch will represent the Mormon faith, Gunnell said, and President Bill Clinton, Bryant Gumbel and Billy Crystal will give eulogies. A private reception will follow at the Muhammed Ali Center.