Friend of Muhammad Ali, socialite, lawyer who moved in the Kennedys' circle, Hooker also lost businesses, millions of dollars and high-profile political campaigns. In his later years, he has earned the moniker gadfly, mostly for losing battles, and seemed to be fading into irrelevance. Another time, leaving a court hearing in his assisted-suicide lawsuit, he faced a media scrum and quipped, "Y'all wouldn't even be taking my picture unless you thought I was going to die." [...] what to make of this news? Muhammad Ali gave him a shout-out on television after winning the heavyweight championship fight known as the "Thrilla in Manila?" Yes. Hooker enjoyed a quick rise to prominence as a young law school graduate when he got tapped in 1958 to prosecute the impeachment of a Chattanooga judge accused of accepting bribes from racketeers. Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken was a spectacular failure, but just as the business crumbled, Hooker won the 1970 Democratic nomination for Tennessee governor. [...] thing is, I lost my dream. Convinced that most state politicians and appellate judges were violating the Tennessee Constitution, he started filing legal challenges against campaign financing and judicial appointments. At a legislative hearing this summer for a physician-assisted suicide bill, Hooker spoke from a wheelchair and at times struggled to catch his breath. [...] he continues to campaign for his cause, recently dictating a long denunciation after a judge ruled against him on assisted suicide. Hooker was in the middle of talking about his favorite subject, the Tennessee Constitution, but stopped his narration mid-sentence to stare at the phenomenon.