LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — As Muhammad Ali’s youngest son rode in his father’s funeral procession through the streets of the city he adored, he noticed scores of children lining the route, pumping their fists, shouting “Ali! Ali!”

Asaad Amin Ali figured the children in attendance couldn’t possibly yet understand what they were experiencing Friday as Louisville and the world paid their respects to The Greatest.

“It’s not explainable, it was amazing,” said Asaad Amin Ali. “We looked out of the car and see people dancing and cheering and you also see people crying. (The children) are going to remember that for the rest of their lives.

“The outpouring of love … it’s inspiration. We saw how much he affected the world.”

Ali’s made one final journey through Louisville, his hometown, then was laid to rest in a cemetery he chose more than a decade ago. The burial was followed by a star-studded memorial service where the boxing great was eulogized as a brash and wildly charismatic breaker of racial barriers.

The more than three-hour memorial capped nearly a full day of mourning in Louisville for Ali, the three-time heavyweight champion of the world who died last week at 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Family spokesman Bob Gunnell said when the motorcade pulled up outside Ali’s childhood home, they were already woefully behind schedule. They hadn’t planned to stop there, just drive by and wave.

But the street was jammed full of people who threw roses on the cars. Ali’s widow, Lonnie, asked if they could pause there.

“Let’s just stay here for a few seconds and let Muhammad enjoy this,” Gunnell recalled she said.

They made their way to Broadway where it looked like the whole city lined the streets. Gunnell looked back at a car behind him and saw actor Will Smith, his hand hung out the window, giving high fives to kids on the street.

There was so much activity in the week since Ali died, his family has had little time to reflect.

“Things are going to slow down, we’re really going to have a chance to sit and think about his passing. It’s going to be a tough time,” said Asaad Amin Ali.

Here are some other things we’ll remember from the celebration of Ali’s life:

 

The family’s farewell

Wearing a large, black hat that concealed her eyes, Lonnie Ali became the chief storyteller of her husband’s legacy.

She touched on how Ali wanted to be remembered in death, and how he helped plan his final goodbye.

“Some years ago during his long struggle with Parkinson’s in a meeting that included his closest advisers, Muhammad indicated that when the end came for him, he wanted us to use his life and his death as a teaching moment for young people, for his country and for the world,” she said. “He wanted us to remind people who are suffering, that he had seen the face of injustice. That he grew up in segregation, and that during his early life, he was not free to be who he wanted to be.

“But he never became embittered enough to quit or to engage in violence.”

She also urged the 15,000 in attendance at the public memorial at the KFC Yum! Center to follow Ali’s example, and to reflect upon his legacy and what Ali stood for during difficult times.

“He was sure-footed in his self-awareness, secure in his faith and he did not fear death,” she said. “Yet his timing is once again poignant. His passing and its meaning for our times should not be overlooked. As we face uncertainty in the world and divisions at home as to who we are as a people, Muhammad’s life provides useful guidance.

“Muhammad was not one to give up on the power of understanding the boundless possibilities of love and the strength of our diversity. He counted among his friends people of all political persuasions, saw truth in all faiths and the nobility of all races.”

 

The greatest impression

The memorial service was packed with celebrities, athletes and politicians, including former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Orrin Hatch, director Spike Lee, former NFL great Jim Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, soccer star David Beckham, Whoopi Goldberg and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

It was comedian Billy Crystal, though, who brought the house down with impressions of Ali and his memories of his time with the champion.

“He was a tremendous bolt of lightning, created by Mother Nature out of thin air, a fantastic combination of power and beauty,” said Crystal. “We’ve seen still photographs of lightning at the moment of impact, ferocious in its strength, magnificent in its elegance. And at the moment of impact it lights up everything around it so you can see everything clearly.

“Muhammad Ali struck us in the middle of America’s darkest night.”

Crystal cracked everyone up with his career-making impersonation of a boastful, fast-talking Ali — and Ali’s foil, sportscaster Howard Cosell — and rhapsodized about the fighter’s charisma, outspokenness and talent in a way that brought the crowd to its feet.

He also was one of the many speakers who laced his eulogy with political barbs in this presidential campaign season. Ali was remembered as a fearless man of principle, someone who went from being one of the most polarizing figures of the 20th century to one of the most beloved, a source of black pride and a symbol of professional excellence.

“Ali forced us to take a look at ourselves. This brash young man thrilled us, angered us, confused us, challenged us, ultimately became a silent messenger of peace and taught us that life is best when you build bridges between people and not walls,” said Crystal.