Boy George and Muhammad Ali.Photo:Karwai Tang/WireImage; Patrick Riviere/Getty
Karwai Tang/WireImage; Patrick Riviere/Getty
Boy Georgemet his heroMuhammad Aliat a nightclub, long before the Culture Club singer was famous.
In a recentinterview on theGraham Norton Show, the 62-year-old singer toldGraham Norton,Greta Lee,Sarah SnookandMiriam Margolyesthat he met Ali in a nightclub, when George was younger and known around London “for dressing up” and “before” he was famous.
“I felt I was more famous than I was," George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, joked as he began the story.
Boy George of Culture Club performs in concert during “The Letting It Go Show” at Germania Insurance Amphitheater on August 12, 2023 in Austin, Texas.Rick Kern/WireImage
Rick Kern/WireImage
“My dad loved Muhammad Ali. We had a picture of Muhammad Ali next to a picture of the Pope," the “Karma Chameleon” singer said. “That’s how important it was in our family.”
“So I crawled through all the security and I was like full on like, like in total drag. I was like, ‘Oh my God, my dad loves you. Like we’ve got a picture of you on a mirror in our hallway,’” George recalled of that night in a nightclub.
After making it past security, George managed to exchange some complimentary words with Ali.
“He looked at me and goes, ‘Are you a girl or boy?’" George recalled. “And I said, ‘I’m a boy.’ And he goes, ‘You’re a very pretty boy.’”
George told Norton, 60, and the other guests that he told Ali, “‘Oh my God I can’t wait to tell my dad.’”
“My dad was furious and [said] ‘Oh my God you showed me right up,’” George said.
Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) 20 year old heavyweight contender from Louisville, Kentucky poses for the camera on May 17, 1962, in Bronx, New York.Stanley Weston/Getty
Stanley Weston/Getty
George continued to compliment the late boxer and said how important he still is to him.
“I love Muhammad Ali,” George said. “Even to this day, it’s the one thing me and my dad agreed on. The man was a genius and a prophet and the most spiritual. I love him so much.”
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Ali died in June 2016 at the age of 74. He publicly announced hisdiagnosis with Parkinson’s diseasein 1984.
In 2021, George announced he is working on abiopic feature film about his life, titledKarma Chameleon.
George’s initial announcement was made via Instagram and the singer said in the video post, “There’s only one problem, and it’s quite major: Who’s going to play me?”
source: people.com
