Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. (November 11, 1912 – February 8, 1990) was an American painter and musician. He was the father of three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali and Rahaman Ali, and the paternal grandfather of Laila Ali. He married Odessa Lee O'Grady in 1934 and worked as a painter. He was described as "a handsome, mercurial, noisy, combative failed dreamer"^[1] and a "hard-drinking, skirt-chasing dandy of a daddy".^[2] His son Muhammad Ali described him as "the fanciest dancer in Louisville".^[3]

Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr.
Born	Cassius Marcellus Clay (1912-11-11)November 11, 1912 Jefferson County, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	February 8, 1990(1990-02-08) (aged 77) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Painter, musician
Spouse	Odessa Grady ​ (m. 1934)​
Children	Muhammad Ali Rahaman Ali

Biography

Clay was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Herman H. Clay (March 1876 – February 1, 1954) and Edith E. Greathouse (December 1889 – December 30, 1972^[4]). He was named in honor of the 19th-century Republican politician and staunch abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. He had a sister and four brothers, including Nathaniel Clay.^[5][6] Clay's paternal grandparents were John Clay and Sallie Anne Clay. His sister Eva said that Sallie was a native of Madagascar.^[7] According to DNA research, Muhammad Ali's paternal grandmother was Archer Alexander's (1816–1880) great-granddaughter.^[8]

Clay painted billboards and signs.^[9] He also played the piano, took piano lessons and wrote music. Around 1933, he married Odessa Lee O'Grady.^[10] He was a heavy drinker, which led to legal entanglements for reckless driving, disorderly conduct, and assault and battery.^[11] When asked in 1970 why he had not become a Muslim as his son had done, he said: "my religion is my talent, that which supports me."^[12]

Clay died at the age of 77 on February 8, 1990, after suffering a heart attack while leaving a department store in Kentucky.^[6]

Legacy

Clay was portrayed by Arthur Adams in the 1977 film The Greatest and by Giancarlo Esposito in the 2001 Oscar-nominated film Ali.^[13]