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The actor, 68, said \"the audience exploded\" with laughter when he did his Ali skit. Then, \"The Greatest\" went up to Crystal and gave him a hug, saying \"You're my little brother.\"

\"PHOTO:
Nick Elgar/Getty Images
PHOTO: Billy Crystal & Muhammad Ali at Audemars Piguet's Time To Give Celebrity Watch Auction For Charity held at Christie's Auction House in New York on Oct. 23, 2000.
>

\"He always called me that till last time I saw him,\" Crystal explained.

Ali was generous with his time for Crystal, the comedian said. Dinners, charities, whatever he needed.

\"Here's the most famous Muslim man in the world, honoring his Jewish friend,\" he said. \"I had so many funny moments with him.\"

But there were serious moments too. One time, Ali invited Crystal to run with him at a prestigious country club. But they didn't allow Jews there, so Ali vowed to never run there again.

\"And he didn't,\" Crystal said.

\"I've labored to come up with a way to describe the legend,\" he continued, before saying he'd settled on a lightning bolt.

\"On the moment of impact, it lights up everything around it,\" he said. \"His intense light shined on America. We were able to see clearly injustice.... Ali forced us to take a look at ourselves.\"

Crystal closed his remarks: \"He is gone, but he will never die, he was my big brother.\"

Thousands gathered today to get a glimpse of the funeral procession for Ali, as it made its way to the KFC Yum! Center, where the likes of Crystal, Bryant Gumbel and President Bill Clinton shared stories about the boxer and political hero.

The three-time heavyweight champ died last Friday at the age of 74 after battling Parkinson's disease for more than 30 years. His cause of death was \"septic shock due to unspecified natural causes,\" family spokesman Bob Gunnell said.

Ali will be buried at the Cave Hill National Cemetery in Louisville.

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