One Night in Miami mostly takes place in 1964, but what happened to the real-life historical figures in the subsequent years and beyond? Directed by Regina King and written by Kemp Powers, the Amazon Prime film primarily revolves around imagined conversations between a group of iconic Black Americans as they contemplate their role in the civil rights movement.

In One Night in Miami, 22-year-old boxer Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) becomes the heavyweight champ on February 24, 1964. He then celebrates in a Miami hotel room with a group of high-profile friends: activist Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), NFL star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.). The main conflict is sparked by Clay revealing that he plans to join the Nation of Islam after being recruited by Malcolm X, which leads to intense discussions about each man's perceived role in American culture.

Related: One Night In Miami Cast & Real Life Character Guide

One Night in Miami ends with the characters resolving their conflict, and then details the immediate aftermath. Clay joins the Nation of Islam and receives a new name: Muhammad Ali. Brown retires and embarks on a movie career, while Cooke debuts a new song that would ultimately become a cultural anthem: "A Change Is Gonna Come." The final epilogue text acknowledges that Malcolm X was assassinated in February 1965, but the Amazon Prime film doesn't provide any information about the fates of other characters. Here's what happened to the real historical figures after the events depicted in One Night in Miami.

Malcolm X

Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

One Night in Miami frames Malcolm X as a man who is deeply concerned about the state of the civil rights movement and having the right "weapons" for the struggle. He wants Cooke to be more thoughtful with his lyrics, and also wants athletes like Brown and Clay to use their respective platforms to create change. By the end of the film, it's revealed that Malcolm X partially inspired Sam to write "A Change Is Gonna Come," and One Night in Miami concludes with a quote from the activist that preceded his tragic demise by two days.

Malcolm X was murdered on February 21, 1965, approximately one year after the fictional hotel room conversations depicted in One Night in Miami. The 39-year-old had recently left the Nation of Islam, and was gunned down by unidentified assassins before a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. The 2020 Netflix docuseries Who Killed Malcolm X? offers a thorough account of the subject's death, and even reaches a conclusion about the killers' identities. In pop culture, Malcolm X's revolutionary persona is often contrasted with Martin Luther King's peaceful philosophies. One Night in Miami suggests that Malcolm X had reached a turning point in his life, and seemed to know that he needed colleagues to carry the torch when he no longer could.

Betty X

Joaquina Kalukango in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

Portrayed by Joaquina Kalukango, Betty Shabazz a.k.a. Betty X has a smaller role in One Night in Miami. She worries about her husband Malcolm, along with the safety of their children. Betty X last appears on screen in a state of duress while listening to Sam sing "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Related: Every Song In One Night In Miami

After Malcolm's death, Betty X attended Jersey City State College and later taught at Medgar Evers College during the '70s. In 1997, her 10-year-old grandson purposely set fire to her home. Three weeks later, Betty X died at age 63. She raised six children by herself and never re-married.

Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali

Eli Goree in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

In One Night in Miami, Clay feels optimistic about joining the Nation of Islam but also doesn't seem fully prepared for the commitment. When Malcolm X announces that he'll be leaving the Nation of Islam to start his own organization, Clay is naturally caught off-guard and confused. One Night in Miami doesn't spend much time exploring the boxer's career inside the ring, and instead focuses on a pivotal moment in his life after defeating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title. One Night in Miami ends with Clay's induction into the Nation of Islam as Muhammad Ali.

Ali is widely regarded as the best professional boxer of all-time. He dominated the sport through 1967, but then spent three and half years out of the ring while dealing with the consequences of protesting the Vietnam War, and subsequently became one of America's most polarizing figures. Ali maintained his perfect record upon his 1970 boxing return, but eventually experienced his first loss in 1971 after losing to Joe Frazier. Throughout the decade, however, Ali competed in a series of now-iconic fights, and thus further established himself as a true American sporting icon. Over the decades, Ali's reputation grew as a spokesperson for human rights, and he was eventually awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Ali passed away in June 2016 at age 74.

Jim Brown

Aldis Hodge in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

One Night in Miami presents Brown as a stoic figure who observes and processes the debates between his colleagues. At one point, Brown references a possible movie career, only to be reminded by his friends that Black characters typically don't survive in Hollywood films. The moment forces the NFL star to think deeper about his future and whether or not he wants to participate in an industry that will exploit his talent. The film's climax shows Brown retiring from the NFL after nine seasons, and announcing his decision to pursue a movie career.

Related: Amazon’s OJ Simpson Documentary Claims Someone Else Killed Nicole Brown

Brown is often cited as one of the best NFL running backs to ever compete. After retiring, he sustained a movie career for approximately 40 years, appearing in classics such as The Dirty Dozen, The Running Man, and Any Given Sunday. Brown also had various legal problems over the years, beginning with multiple assault allegations during the '60s, and then later again in the '70s and '80s. He's currently 84 years old and was named the greatest college football player of all time by ESPN in 2020.

Sam Cooke

Leslie Odom Jr. in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

One Night in Miami prominently features the music of Sam Cooke. In 1964, he was best known for his radio-friendly soul songs, and also for being a savvy businessman. In the film, Cooke is criticized for his lyrical content, and for not being more active in the civil rights struggle. One Night in Miami concludes with him performing "A Change Is Gonna Come" on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Without any context about what happens next, it seems that Cooke is about to evolve into a household name. Sadly, he wouldn't survive the year.

Nine months after the focal events in One Night in Miami, Cooke was murdered in downtown Los Angeles at age 33. The manager of the Hacienda Motel, Bertha Franklin, claimed that she had shot the singer in self-defense, but the 2019 Netflix documentary ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke suggests that Cooke was murdered after a confrontation-gone-wrong about the legal rights to the singer's recordings. According to singer Etta James, who attended Cooke's funeral, his post-mortem appearance wasn't consistent with the official police version of events.

Barbara Cooke

Nicolette Robinson in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

Nicolette Robinson portrays Sam's wife, Barbara Cooke, in One Night in Miami. She's mostly a background figure in the film, but did indeed have an interesting life after her husband's death. Less than three months after Cooke suddenly died, Barbara married R&B musician Bobby Womack on his 21st birthday. The couple separated five years later when Barbara learned that Womack had been sexually abusing her daughter, Linda (Sam's daughter), who later became the musical artist Zeriiya Zekkariyas.

Related: Leslie Odom, Jr. Interview: One Night In Miami

Angelo Dundee

Michael Imperioli in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

Portrayed by Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos' Christopher Moltisanti), Angelo Dundee appears in the first act of One Night in Miami as Clay's legendary trainer. After 1964, Dundee worked as Ali's cornerman for the entirety of his career. He's also well-known for training Sugar Ray Leonard, who is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers. Dundee passed away at age 90 in 2012.

Drew Bundini Brown

Lawrence Gilliard Jr. in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

In One Night in Miami, Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (The Wire) portrays Drew Bundini Brown, Clay's assistant cornerman. Though it's not shown in the film, Brown is the mind behind many of Ali's speeches. In the boxing world he's known for also working with Sugar Ray Robinson, who is Jake LaMotta's primary rival in Raging Bull. Brown died in 1987 at age 59, and was later portrayed by Jamie Foxx in Ali.

Sonny Liston

Aaron D. Alexander in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

Sonny Liston (Aaron D. Alexander) is defeated by Clay during the first act of One Night in Miami. In real life, Liston was known for his commanding presence in the ring, and for being one of the sport's hardest hitters. After losing to Clay in 1964, Liston lost to him once again the following year via a first-round knockout (the fight was reportedly fixed). He then won 15 of his next 16 fights, but mysteriously died in 1970 from a rumored drug overdose.

Elijah Muhammad

Jerome A. Wilson in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

One Night in Miami features a brief performance from Jerome A. Wilson as Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam leader who welcomes Clay/Ali into the organization. In real life, Muhammad had a turbulent relationship with Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in March 1964, just weeks after the events depicted in the film. At the time, Muhammad had been accused of having sexual affairs with Nation of Islam secretaries, and his questionable behavior is briefly referenced during hotel conversation scenes in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime. Muhammad led his organization until his 1975 death at age 77.

Related: Who Killed Malcolm X? The Biggest Reveals From Netflix's Documentary

Jackie Wilson

Jeremy Pope in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

In One Night in Miami, Jeremy Pope portrays legendary R&B singer Jackie Wilson. Within the context of the movie, Wilson appears during a flashback sequence when Malcolm X recalls attending a Sam Cooke concert. By 1964, Wilson's career was on a downward swing after an extraordinary five-year run. However, he managed to make a brief comeback later in the '60s after the deaths of both Cooke and now-iconic R&B singer Otis Redding. Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, three years after his 1984 death from pneumonia complications at age 49.

Johnny Carson

Christopher Gorham in One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime

Christopher Gorham briefly appears in One Night in Miami as iconic American talk show host Johnny Carson, who interviews Sam Cooke during the final act. Carson famously hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1962 to 1992, which paved the way for later NBC hosts such as Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon. Carson passed away in 2005 at age 79.

Next: One Night In Miami Review: Regina King's Directorial Debut Is Insightful