Odessa Grady Clay | |
|---|---|
 Odessa Grady Clay with her son Muhammad Ali | |
| Born | Odessa Lee O'Grady February 12, 1917 Hopkins County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | August 20, 1994 (aged 77) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation | Housewife |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Muhammad Ali Rahaman Ali |
Odessa Lee Clay (née O'Grady; February 12, 1917 – August 20, 1994) was the mother of three-time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Rahaman Ali, and the paternal grandmother of Laila Ali.[1][2] She married Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. in the 1930s and worked for some time as a household domestic to help support her young children.[3] She supported and inspired her son throughout his boxing career and was a ring-side regular at his bouts.
- ^ "The Dream". Time magazine. March 22, 1963. Archived from the original on March 14, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
Odessa Grady Clay is a short, pillowy woman who has 12 cats with freckled fawn skin and an expensive orthodontist. ...
- ^ "Young Cassius Clay". Sports Illustrated. January 13, 1992. Archived from the original on September 8, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
Clay was his mother's son. Odessa Grady Clay was a sweet, pillowy, light-skinned black woman with a freckled face, a gentle demeanor and an easy laugh. ...
- ^ Egerton, John (September 28, 1980). "Ali's Kentucky Roots". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
There, Odessa eventually met and married Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. Little is known about the Grady side of the family, except that a cousin of Muhammad Ali ...