US talk show host Larry King dies weeks after testing positive for COVID-19
Written by News on 23/01/2021
US talk show host Larry King has died at the age of 87.
The TV star was taken to hospital in Los Angeles in late December after testing positive for coronavirus.
King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Ora Media, the studio and network he co-founded, tweeted. No cause of death was given in the statement.
King, whose career spanned more than six decades and is estimated to have covered more than 50,000 interviews, had Type-2 diabetes and had suffered from lung cancer, angina and heart attacks in recent years.
During his career, King, hunched over his desk in rolled-up sleeves and braces, quizzed thousands of world leaders, politicians and entertainers.
He became known for an interview style that ensured the subjects were the true stars of his programmes, and left himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience.
“Whether he was interviewing a US 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.”
“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,” said the statement by Ora Media.
King’s broadcasting fame began in the 1970s with his radio programme The Larry King Show, which he hosted on the network Mutual Broadcasting System.
He then went on to have his own television show, Larry King Live on CNN, between 1985 and 2010, where his guests included politicians, celebrities, sports stars and well-known conspiracy theorists.
King married country singer and actress Shawn Southwick in 1997 and the couple filed for divorce in 2010. The filing was then rescinded only for them to divorce again in 2019.
He is survived by his children Larry, Jr, Chance and Cannon.
(c) Sky News 2021: US talk show host Larry King dies weeks after testing positive for COVID-19
