Will Smith was stunned by the "outpouring of love" during Muhammad Ali’s funeral procession.
The 47-year-old actor – who served as a pallbearer for the late boxing legend’s coffin – learned a "valuable lesson" while driving through the streets of Louisville, Kentucky on Friday (10.06.16) and seeing how much people adored the sportsman, who died aged 74 on June 3.
He said: "It’s absolutely beautiful. We did a two-hour procession through the state … the outpouring of love.
"I learned a really valuable lesson about how the moment of the end of a life illuminates how it was lived. And every day you have to focus and concentrate on making sure you’re living your life in a way that it illuminates the things you want illuminated, and the things that were illuminated today were his love, and his heart, and his unconditional appreciation for all people of every race and colour."
Will felt the thousands of people who turned out to pay their respects to Muhammad as his body made its way to Cave Hill Cemetery made the event a true "celebration".
He added to ‘Entertainment Tonight’: "Every age was out there. It was beautiful. It was absolutely … ‘celebration’ is the right word."
The ‘Suicide Squad’ actor feels "humbled" to be involved in the funeral, and revealed he had enjoyed sharing stories of the boxer with his family and fellow pallbearers Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
He said: "We all sat around, you know – Tyson, Lewis, and a lot of Ali’s family and me – for about an hour.
"We all just told the stories and our memories. You know, for me, it’s just humbling to be able to be here with the family in this time of need. He lived the perfect example of how a human being is supposed to live their life. It was beautiful."
A public memorial service for Muhammad is currently taking place at the KFC Yum! Center in Kentucky.
Will Smith: Muhammad Ali funeral procession was beautiful
