Joyce Moore, widow of the late Sam Moore, reacts after Khalilah Ali, former wife of Muhammad Ali, presented her with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award during his funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89.
Photo by Matias J. Ocner
mocner@miamiherald.com
Family, friends and peers of Miami music legend Sam Moore paid tribute and said “I Thank You” as the star was honored with laughter, tears and a choir at a memorial service and interment on a drizzly Friday afternoon.
Among the guests at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Doral honoring the Sam & Dave star who died at 89 on Jan. 10: Gloria and Emilio Estefan and their son and daughter Nayib and Emily; Larry Little, a player on the Miami Dolphins’ perfect season team in 1972; singer-songwriter Michael Bolton; and actress Khalilah Ali.
From left to right: Emilio Estefan, Emily Estefan, and Gloria Estefan attend the funeral service of Sam Moore at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
American singer Sam Moore speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Florida International University Biscayne Bay Campus on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, in North Miami, Fla. The ceremony was held to officially unveil the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, the iSTAR Volumetric Capture Studio and the Sam Moore: The Legendary Soul Man Theatre. MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiherald.com
Ali, the second of boxing champ Muhammad Ali’s four wives, presented Moore’s wife Joyce with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award that was bestowed on Sam Moore by President Joe Biden to honor the singer for his service to the community.
Khalilah Ali, former wife of Muhammad Ali, presents the family of the late Sam Moore with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award during his funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Little, 79, told guests of his lifetime friendship with Moore and of how both were grads of Miami’s Booker T. Washington Senior High School in Overtown. Each had made their ways into their respective Hall of Fames: Moore into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and Little into the NFL’s Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Former Miami Dolphins player Larry Little speaks during the funeral service of Sam Moore at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Little and Moore both attended Miami’s Booker T. Washington High School, but at different times. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Moore’s hits with Dave Prater during the duo’s run as Sam & Dave in the 1960s included “Soul Man,” “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby,” “I Thank You” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’.”
Honoring Sam Moore
Michelle Breger, daughter of Sam Moore, hugs her mom, Joyce Moore, during her father’s funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Joyce Moore, left, wife of the late Sam Moore, hugs Gloria Estefan during his funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Joyce Moore, left, wife of the late Sam Moore, hugs Gloria Estefan during his funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Joyce Moore, left, wife of the late Sam Moore, hugs Emily Estefan during his funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Khalilah Ali, former wife of Muhammad Ali, presents Joyce Moore, widow of the late Sam Moore, with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award and medal that honored Sam during his funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Khalilah Ali, former wife of Muhammad Ali, presents the family of the late Sam Moore with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award during his funeral service at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Guests attend the funeral service of Sam Moore at Lakeside Memorial Park and Funeral Home on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, in Doral, Fla. Moore, the R&B singer from the famed 1960s duo Sam & Dave, died on Friday, Jan. 10, at the age of 89. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Miami Herald consumer trends reporter Howard Cohen, a 2017 Media Excellence Awards winner, has covered pop music, theater, health and fitness, obituaries, municipal government, breaking news and general assignment. He started his career in the Features department at the Miami Herald in 1991. Cohen is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Communication.Support my work with a digital subscription
