TRIBUTE/RIP: MEMORIES OF MUHAMMAD ALI

0

MEMORIES OF MUHAMMAD ALI

When I read the terribly sad news on Friday night, that Muhammad Ali had passed, my mind was spinning so much that, for a brief moment, I found myself wishing that I had met him. And then I realized–I had!!! That remembrance did comfort me a tiny bit somehow.

Muhammad Ali and Karen Salkin.  Photo by INAM staff.

Muhammad Ali and Karen Salkin. Photo by INAM staff.

There’s so much to say about the true Greatest of All Time, and, by now, most of it has been stated by others. So, rather than wishing that he was still here, and ruing the unfairness he often encountered in life, I want to pay tribute to the Champ in the best way I know how–by sharing my own little personal story of him.

Meeting, and “interviewing,” Muhammad Ali was one of the shining moments of my career. (And life!) It’s seriously right up there with my Tonight Show appearances. When I was asked to be the TV correspondent in the VIP tent, interviewing the celebrity guests, for the 1992 Los Angeles Marathon, little did I know that my day would end with meeting the one-and-only Muhammad Ali. Prior to that moment, it had seemed like one of my lesser gigs. And that status was confirmed to me when they had me chat with Marla Gibbs…while she showed me how to make an ice cream sundae. How idiotic. I was thinking, “Get me out of here!”

Muhammad Ali actually talking to Karen Salkin! Photo by INAM staff.

Muhammad Ali actually talking to Karen Salkin! Photo by INAM staff.

And then I spied the Champ walking in. He was already in the throes of the evil Parkinson’s Disease that plagued him for so much of his life. So, even though I knew he could barely speak at that point, and definitely wasn’t even attempting it in public anymore, I begged my producer to ask him if we could do something on camera. Anything. She hesitated a bit, but then acquiesced. When she approached Ali, she explained that I do enough talking for both of us. He asked with whom he would be doing the piece, and when she pointed me out to him, I guess the look on my face was so desperate that it compelled him to agree, for which I am eternally grateful.

I was well aware that I was acting like a goony fangirl over him, but that’s exactly what I was. Even my younger self realized how special this moment was. We knew that he wasn’t going to talk on camera, so, as agreed upon off-air, I just went over with the microphone, and, (practically crying, I must admit,) asked him for his autograph. And that’s all the segment was supposed to be.

So, I almost fainted when he whispered to me! He asked me if I would like a book he was involved in, and, of course, I said yes! And then to make it all the best possible experience, he asked me for my name, spelled it back to me to be sure, and then signed the book for me!

Muhammad Ali signing his book for Karen Salkin, while she freaks out over it.  Photo by INAM staff.

Muhammad Ali signing his book for Karen Salkin, while she freaks out over it. Photo by INAM staff.

Muhammad Ali spoke to me! When he was hardly speaking to anyone outside of his family and friends! I have never forgotten an iota of that experience, and even though the tape of that show is grainy now, I’m so grateful that I have it all on film to remind me of that wonderfulness, should I ever forget even a second of it.

Outside of reminiscing about that spectacular moment in my life, so many other thoughts about Ali rushed through my mind all week-end, like being angry that boxing is what did this to his health. But without that sport, we would have never known of him, which would have made all of our lives a bit poorer.

muhammad-ali-abAnd then, as I was writing this, I realized that he lived with this dreadful condition for well over a third of his life! I cannot even imagine that. To have his mind be as sharp as always, but not be able to speak, especially for someone as fun, eloquent, quick-witted, and jokingly braggadocious as Ali, must have been torture for him. Yet, he still showed up to events, and charmed everyone, just in other ways. The day I met him, he was doing funny magic tricks for some guests in the tent. Every single person around him was smiling. He made us forget his plight. That’s yet one more reason to admire, and now miss, him.

I am so glad that he was universally loved and appreciated in his lifetime. He was truly deserving of that adulation.

RIP, Muhammad Ali.

Share.

Leave A Reply