Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, or Parkinson’s syndrome as it was initially described, in 1984. He was 42 years old and had retired from professional boxing three years earlier after losing to Trevor Berbick in December 1981.
Ali’s diagnosis became public after medical evaluations in New York and Germany. Early symptoms included slowed and slurred speech, tremors, and reduced movement. Doctors and commentators debated whether years of boxing and repeated head trauma contributed to his condition, but the precise cause was never established as a simple one-to-one connection. Some of Ali’s specialists disputed the idea that boxing alone caused his illness.
The diagnosis did not end Ali’s public life. He continued humanitarian work, appearances, and advocacy, eventually helping raise awareness and funding for Parkinson’s research. His lighting of the Olympic flame at the 1996 Atlanta Games became one of the most memorable public moments associated with his later years. Ali died in 2016 at age 74.