proved himself above that. He lived with dementia pugilistica, for over a decade before his death. It was reported that Ellis' condition was so bad that he believed his deceased wife, Mary who died in 2006, was still alive. Death Ellis died at the age of 74 from complications of dementia on May 6, 2014, in Louisville Baptist Hospital, Kentucky. His funeral was held on 12 May 2014 at Louisville's Canaan Christian Church; he was buried in the city's Green Meadows Memorial Cemetery. Tributes On the announcement Ellis' death Muhammad Ali issued the following statement: "In the world of heavyweights I always thought him one of the best". Personal life Ellis was survived by three brothers and a sister. His son Jeff played professional football and confirmed the family were always immensely proud of Ellis's achievements and his World Title. Ellis's family considered that boxing exacerbated the dementia of his later years, but had not necessarily caused it. His younger brother Jerry, who'd trained with Ellis, commented that he himself now avoided watching boxing as he'd seen too many damaged by it. Professional boxing record Exhibition boxing record References External links 1940 births 2014 deaths Heavyweight boxers Boxers from Louisville, Kentucky World Boxing Association champions World heavyweight boxing champions American male boxers African-American boxers Deaths from dementia in Kentucky Sportspeople with chronic traumatic encephalopathy 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people