Celebs Hit Muhammad Ali’s 70th Birthday Bash and Charity Gala

Over the weekend, about 2,000 celebrities crowded into the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, to honor the great ex-boxer, Muhammad Ali, with a huge birthday party. The legend turned 70 years old more than a month ago, on January 17th, but his family, and celebrity friends decided to postpone the big event until this weekend, so that it could coincide with Keep Memory Alive’s Annual Power of Love Gala.

The Gala served as a fundraiser for the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali  Center. Tickets were sold for $1,500 per plate, a pair of Ali’s boxing gloves were auctioned off for $1.1million, and a 4 night trip to private islands in the Bahamas was sold for $300,000. The fundraiser will air on ABC and ESPN2 on February 25th. The joint party was set up in order to celebrate Ali’s life, in lieu of the fact that he’s been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for the last 28 years. Those close to him admit that he has been keeping to himself a lot lately. They also say that sometimes his face freezes into a frightened expression. So hopefully the party was a joyful moment for him. Stevie Wonder took the stage at the party, to sing “Happy Birthday” for Mr. Ali. President Obama also sent him a message via video, saying,

“As a fighter, you were something spectacular. You shocked the world, and you inspired it, too. And even after all the titles and legendary bouts, you’re still doing it.”

We spotted Cee-Lo Green, Kelly Rowland, John Legend, P.Diddy, Common, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, and Samuel L. Jackson inside. Peep the photos.

[Time, DailyMail, AceShowBiz, Popsessive]

-@Kami2Kute