Larry King, the award-winning TV host and radio personality, has died at the age of 87 amid a weeks-long battle with coronavirus.
“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,” King’s official Twitter announced Saturday morning.
— Larry King (@kingsthings) January 23, 2021
While a cause of death was not given, King was hospitalized with the virus in late December. He had faced a number of health issues over the years, including prostate cancer, type-two diabetes, multiple heart attacks, a lung cancer diagnosis, and a stroke.
Brooklyn-born King rose to fame as the host of Larry King Live, hosting the program — which was CNN’s longest-running and one of its most-watched — for 25 years.
“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,” the statement read. “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.”
King received a number of honors throughout his life, including several Cable ACE Awards, Peabody Awards and lifetime achievement awards.