Larry King, Famed American TV Host, Dies at 87

Larry King, famed American television host, has died at the age of 87 in Los Angeles.

The veteran news presenter and interviewer died on Saturday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to a post to the late celebrity’s Twitter account by Ora Media, a production company which he co-founded.

The statement reads:

“For 63 years an across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry’s many thousands of interview, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster. Additionally, while it was his name appearing in the shows’ titles, Larry always viewed his interview subjects as the true stars of his programs, and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience. Whether he was interviewing a U.S. president, foreign leader, celebrity, scandal-ridden personage, or an everyman, Larry liked to ask short, direct, and uncomplicated questions. He believed concise questions usually provided the best answers, and he was not wrong in that belief.

Larry’s interview form his 25- year run on CNN’s ‘Larry King Live,’ and his Ora Media programs ‘Larry King Now,’ and ‘Politicking with Larry King’ are consistently referenced by media outlets around the world and remain part of the historical record of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Ora Media sends our condolences to his surviving children Larry, Jr., Chance, Cannon and the entire King family.”

The statement mentions that “funeral arrangements and a memorial service will be announced later in coordination with the King family, who ask for privacy at this time.”

During his six-decade career, which included 25 years as host of his own CNN show, King interviewed many famous political leaders, celebrities and sports icons.

Earlier this month King was treated for COVID-19, however, that has not yet been determined as his cause of death.

The talk show host had faced several health problems in recent years, including a heart attack that led to bypass surgery which encouraged King to quit smoking. King also survived lung cancer and underwent surgery at Cedars-Sinai in 2017. He was later diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer in 1999.

King rose to fame in the 1970s with his radio show The Larry King Show, on the commercial network Mutual Broadcasting System.

He then went on to host Larry King Live on CNN from 1985 to 2010, holding interviews with a slew of high-profile guests.

He also penned a column for the USA Today newspaper for over 20 years.

As his most recent and final endeavor, King hosted another show, Larry King Now, which was broadcast on Hulu.

Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor