Legendary broadcaster and radio presenter Larry King has died at the age of 87, just weeks after he was diagnosed with Covid-19. He had been taken to hospital 10 days ago after his condition worsened.
King was already in poor health before he caught the disease, passed on to him through a healthcare worker who attended his home. King had previously suffered a heart-attack, lung cancer, prostate cancer, a stroke and had type-2 diabetes.
Despite his ailing health, King had continued to present a weekly talk show 'Politicking with Larry King' right up until shortly before his death.
Ora Media, King's production company, released a statement in which it was stated:
"With profound sadness, Ora Media announces the death of our co-founder, host, and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at age 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Ora Media sends our condolences to his surviving children Larry, Jr., Chance, Cannon and the entire King family."
It went on to say:
"For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry's many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster. 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. Funeral arrangements and a memorial service will be announced later in coordination with the King family, who ask for their privacy at this time."
During his long-career, King interviewed some of the most powerful people in the world, often several times, pushing for answers on the hot topics of the day. This included interviewing every US president and first-lady since Richard Nixon. It is believed that in total King conducted over 50,000 interviews during the course of his career.
Born Lawrence H. Zeiger in 1933 to an Orthodox Jewish family, King always dreamed of becoming a broadcaster. After his father died suddenly, he was forced to go on to government welfare and never attended college. When he was 23, he left his job in a mail room and headed to Miami, where he managed to gain a position as a CBS sports commentator. From there, his career blossomed to make him one of the most recognised faces on television.
King was married 8 times to 7 different women and had 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. 2 of his children passed away within weeks of each other of unrelated illnesses in August of last year.
h/t: The Guardian
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