Lloyd C. A. Wells, adviser to Ali; at 81

HOUSTON -- Lloyd C. A. Wells, who scouted for the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFL before becoming an adviser to Muhammad Ali in the 1970s, has died at age 81.

Mr. Wells, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Monday at a Houston nursing home, Burnell Loche of Ross Mortuary said yesterday.

''He was as close to me as my brother. . . . I feel like I've lost a part of myself," Ali, the former three-time heavyweight champion, said through spokesman Gene Kilroy.

Mr. Wells worked for the Chiefs in the 1960s before joining Ali for eight years. Mr. Wells also was an adviser to former five-time world champion Thomas Hearns. George Foreman, another former heavyweight champ, employed Mr. Wells as a member of his publicity team in 1996.

In football, Mr. Wells was responsible for signing eight college players who went on to All-Pro careers with the Chiefs, including Otis Taylor, Buck Buchanan, and Curley Culp.

Mr. Wells, a former Marine sergeant, was a professional photographer in Houston for more than five decades.

Funeral services are set for Tuesday.