Muhammad Ali’s Wife Honors Legacy of the Late Boxing Legend with New Audio Series ‘Ali in Me’

Boxing great Muhammad Ali, left appears with his wife, Lonnie at a celebration for his 70th birthday at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 14, 2012. (AP)
Boxing great Muhammad Ali, left appears with his wife, Lonnie at a celebration for his 70th birthday at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 14, 2012. (AP)
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Muhammad Ali’s Wife Honors Legacy of the Late Boxing Legend with New Audio Series ‘Ali in Me’

Boxing great Muhammad Ali, left appears with his wife, Lonnie at a celebration for his 70th birthday at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 14, 2012. (AP)
Boxing great Muhammad Ali, left appears with his wife, Lonnie at a celebration for his 70th birthday at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 14, 2012. (AP)

The late Muhammad Ali 's wife is set to honor his legacy with a new audio series, featuring a lineup of special guests that include popular figures from Will Smith to Mike Tyson.

Lonnie Ali and the legendary boxer's close friend, John Ramsey, will host a new audio series "Ali in Me," debuting Jan. 23 on Audible. The series was announced by Mercury Studios and Treefort Media on Friday — the boxer's 83rd birthday. The eight-part series will delve into Muhammad Ali’s lasting impact beyond the boxing ring through his own words in never-before-heard audio and explore his commitment to fighting injustice.

Lonnie Ali and Ramsey want to draw listeners into Ali's humanity through their personal memories. Along with Smith and Tyson, the series will involve conversations with other guests including Billy Crystal, Common, Rosie Perez, Killer Mike, Bob Costas and Ali's daughter Laila Ali.

"It brings him back into the forefront of America's collective consciousness at a time when our country is really experiencing increased polarization, divisiveness and toxic discourse," said Lonnie Ali of her husband, who died at age 74 in 2016.

She said unification is vital in the US, harkening back to the emotional, iconic moment when Muhammad Ali, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, surprised the crowd when he lit the cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Lonnie Ali has been promoting the humanitarian ideals that dominated his life after the boxing ring.

"He reigned in the consciousness of what America stood for: Hope, compassion, kindness and aspirational goals that all Americans have to be great and achieve their best," she said.

Lonnie Ali said her husband's voice is still powerful. She believes the series will draw listeners into Muhammad Ali's world, fusing original music, sound design and poetry.

"You can put his words in text, write them out, but when you hear them come from the man himself, it's a truly powerful delivery of his message," she said. "That's what I love about it."

Ramsey was fascinated by guests' stories, such as Tyson getting emotional about his love for Muhammad Ali to Smith detailing a moment while filming the 2001 movie "Ali." Ramsey believes the stories will keep Ali's legacy alive and relevant.

"I found our guests' thoughts and interactions with Muhammad were very personal to them, but the impact was contagious," Ramsey said.

Muhammad Ali fought in three different decades as he won and defended the heavyweight championship in epic fights with Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Joe Frazier. He spoke loudly on behalf of Black people and famously refused to be drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War because of his Muslim beliefs.

Lonnie Ali said the audio series will capture the full scope of her husband's extraordinary life, offering something meaningful — even for those who never saw him in the boxing ring.

"But they are aware of who he is," said Lonnie Ali, who created and co-executive produced the series with Ramsey and Josh Wakely for Grace: A Storytelling Company. "He’s a man of our time, and I’m hoping that, as people listen to this podcast, they are inspired to follow in Muhammad’s footsteps and understand the impact he continues to have — not just when he was alive, but that he still has today."



Timothee Chalamet Channels Bob Dylan with Warning about Cult-like Figures

 US-French actor Timothee Chalamet attends a press conference for the film "A Complete Unknown" presented as Berlinale Special at the 75th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
US-French actor Timothee Chalamet attends a press conference for the film "A Complete Unknown" presented as Berlinale Special at the 75th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
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Timothee Chalamet Channels Bob Dylan with Warning about Cult-like Figures

 US-French actor Timothee Chalamet attends a press conference for the film "A Complete Unknown" presented as Berlinale Special at the 75th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
US-French actor Timothee Chalamet attends a press conference for the film "A Complete Unknown" presented as Berlinale Special at the 75th Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, in Berlin on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

Timothee Chalamet learned from his roles as Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown" and Paul Atreides in "Dune" that cult-like figures should be approached with caution, the Oscar-nominated actor said at the Berlin Film Festival on Friday.

"It's in the nature of his music, the warnings against cult-like figures," Chalamet told journalists when asked what he learned from the US singer-songwriter about how to deal with the current state of the world.

"My interpretation is just be wary of any savior-like figures," said Chalamet, whose Dylan biopic was being shown in the festival's non-competition Special section.

"That's honestly the warning in Frank Herbert's 'Dune', which was written in the same period in American history," added Chalamet.

"Granted, Frank Herbert was on the West Coast, probably doing acid at a typewriter, and Bob Dylan was on the East Coast, but the messaging was still similar," Chalamet said.

The 29-year-old actor starred in both parts of Denis Villeneuve's science-fiction epic "Dune", based on author Herbert's highly acclaimed 1965 novel of the same name.

Chalamet, a frontrunner in the race for best actor at next month's Oscars for his turn as Dylan, said he was grateful for his chance to play the artist.

"A Complete Unknown", which also stars Edward Norton, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro, chronicles Dylan's arrival in New York in 1961, his rapid ascent in folk music circles, and his divisive turn to electric rock music in 1965.

"We (the cast) know these projects are few and far between now," he said.

"I was looking at the Berlinale film program, you guys have a lot of really intellectually driven, artistically driven projects, but I guess we do in the States too, but ... these things are harder to come by."