In the past two months, the world has lost both boxing’s greatest and a music icon: Muhammad Ali and Prince.
Back in 1997, these two legends met for the first time. The “Purple Rain” singer and the boxer shared the stage at a press conference in Washington, D.C. to promote an upcoming benefit concert, The World Healing Honors, that was raising money to help put an end to bigotry and prejudice around the world, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“My friend called me a couple of days ago and asked me. He said, Muhammad wants you to — and I said ‘Yes.’ I didn’t even let him finish. He could have said, ‘Mow the lawn,’ and I would have been down with it,” Prince said on stage about how he came to team up with Ali for the event. “Muhammad’s my hero. He has been since I was a child. As you can see, he’s such an inspiration to many people.”
When Prince passed away in April, Ali paid tribute to him on Twitter:
We’ve lost a true original. @Prince was someone who cared for others & used his genius to help many. #AliTweet pic.twitter.com/jGmjj3Fgi6
— Muhammad Ali (@MuhammadAli) April 22, 2016
Watch a clip of Prince and Ali’s 1997 press conference below:
