Boy George Recalls the Moment His Hero Muhammad Ali Told Him 'You're a Very Pretty Boy'

The "Karma Chameleon" singer shared a memory from his life before he reached superstardom

Boy George met his hero Muhammad Ali at a nightclub, long before the Culture Club singer was famous.

In a recent interview on the Graham Norton Show, the 62-year-old singer told Graham Norton, Greta Lee, Sarah Snook and Miriam Margolyes that he met Ali in a nightclub, when George was younger and known around London “for dressing up” and “before” he was famous.

“I felt I was more famous than I was," George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, joked as he began the story.

“My dad loved Muhammad Ali. We had a picture of Muhammad Ali next to a picture of the Pope," the "Karma Chameleon" singer said. “That's how important it was in our family.”

“So I crawled through all the security and I was like full on like, like in total drag. I was like, ‘Oh my God, my dad loves you. Like we've got a picture of you on a mirror in our hallway,’” George recalled of that night in a nightclub.

After making it past security, George managed to exchange some complimentary words with Ali.

“He looked at me and goes, ‘Are you a girl or boy?’" George recalled. "And I said, ‘I'm a boy.’ And he goes, ‘You're a very pretty boy.’”

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George told Norton, 60, and the other guests that he told Ali, “‘Oh my God I can’t wait to tell my dad.’”

“My dad was furious and [said] ‘Oh my God you showed me right up,’” George said.

George continued to compliment the late boxer and said how important he still is to him.

“I love Muhammad Ali," George said. "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.”

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Ali died in June 2016 at the age of 74. He publicly announced his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease in 1984.

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In 2021, George announced he is working on a biopic feature film about his life, titled Karma Chameleon.

The biopic will be written and directed by Sacha Gervasi and will explore George's childhood growing up in Ireland. The film will chronicle his success in the 80s band Culture Club with members Jon Moss, Roy Hay and Mickey Craig.

George’s initial announcement was made via Instagram and the singer said in the video post, "There's only one problem, and it's quite major: Who's going to play me?"

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