Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.

ABOUT CASSIUS MARCELLUS CLAY SR.

American painter and musician known for being the father of Muhammad Ali . He painted billboards and signs in Kentucky. He also enjoyed playing the piano and dancing. He struggled with alcoholism and passed away due to a heart attack in the year 1990.

He grew up in Kentucky with five siblings.

Unlike his son, he was not a practitioner of the Muslim religion.

His parents' names were Herman H. Clay and Edith E. Greathouse. He married Odesa Lee O'Grady in 1934. They had two sons named Muhammad and Rahman. He is the paternal grandfather of boxer Laila Ali .

He was named after the politician Cassius Marcellus Clay , a proponent of abolition.