Tickets to Muhammad Ali memorial gone in hour

There are no more tickets available for Muhammad Ali's public memorial service in Louisville, Ky., on Friday with the approximately 15,000 free tickets gone in about an hour.

Thousands of fans stretched around the block several hours early Wednesday morning at the KFC Yum! Center with the box office set to open at 10 a.m. The box office instead opened at 8:15 a.m., and by 9:20 a.m., the tickets were gone and the windows closed.

Fans chanted "Ali" as the box office prepared to open in the sport icon's hometown.

The KFC Yum! Center said on Twitter that the service will be streamed on the venue's outdoor giant video screen.

Friday's services will include a procession through the city and a private burial, followed by the public memorial at 2 p.m. ET. On Thursday, there will be a prayer service at Louisville's Freedom Hall arena at noon.

Ali died June 3 from septic shock due to unspecified natural causes at a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital not far from his home. He was 74. Ali's body was returned to Louisville on Sunday.

Ali, known as "The Greatest" who became a global symbol of peace and hope as a humanitarian, had battled Parkinson's disease since being diagnosed in 1984 at age 42.

Speaking at the funeral will be representatives of multiple faiths, including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Mormonism and Catholicism.

Also speaking will be Ali's wife, Lonnie Ali, daughter Maryum Ali, actor Billy Crystal and sportscaster Bryant Gumbel. Former President Bill Clinton will deliver a eulogy.

Actor Will Smith and former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will serve as pallbearers, along with other family members and friends -- including Jerry Ellis, the brother of Ali's former sparring partner and heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis. Smith portrayed the legendary boxer in the 2001 movie "Ali" that earned him a nomination for Best Actor by the Academy Awards.