Boy George grew up as a big fan of Muhammad Ali.
In a recent interview with the Graham Norton Show, the singer recalled meeting the famous boxer in a nightclub.
“My dad loved Muhammad Ali,” George explained. “We had a picture of Muhammad Ali next to a picture of the Pope. That's how important it was in our family.”
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“So I crawled through all the security and I was full on like, in total drag.” George said he spoke to Ali: “I was like, ‘Oh my God, my dad loves you. Like we've got a picture of you on a mirror in our hallway.’”
“He looked at me and goes, ‘Are you a girl or boy?’" George recollected. "And I said, ‘I'm a boy.’ And he goes, ‘You're a very pretty boy.’”
“‘Oh my God, I can’t wait to tell my dad,’” he told Ali. “My dad was furious and [said] ‘Oh my God you showed me right up.’”
George holds the activist in high regard: “I love Muhammad Ali. Even to this day, it's the one thing me and my dad agreed on. The man was a genius and a prophet and the most spiritual. I love him so much.”
Ali lived until the age of 74, dying in June 2016 after being hospitalized with a respiratory illness that led to septic shock. In 1984, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and became extremely outspoken on combating the brain disorder.
For his part, George is marking his return to Broadway in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, where he’s set to play Moulin Rouge club owner Harold Zidler in the jukebox adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film. The show debuts on Feb. 6 at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre.
