Website of the YearLegendary TV and radio host Larry King has died at the age of 87.
He was hospitalised before Christmas after testing positive for coronavirus and had suffered from lung cancer, heart attacks, angina and Type 2 diabetes in recent years, reports the Sun.
His representatives announced the news in a statement on Twitter, writing: "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.
"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.
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"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."
The comedian's last post on social media was on October 27 last year, months before his hospitalisation with Covid-19.
He'd posted a photo with his two sons Chance and Cannon on the night the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team won the World Series, writing, "It's a good night".
The photo, taken during Thanksgiving last November, was the last time he was pictured. He was married eight times and had five children.
King was a well-known family man and loved his hometown baseball team. His Instagram bio still reads, "Fan of Dodgers, suspenders and Frank Sinatra!"
He died after four weeks of treatment for coronavirus.
King was born in New York and began his career as a journalist in Florida in the 1950s. After the launch of The Larry King show in 1978, he rose to global fame and went on to host Larry King Live on CNN from 1985 to 2010.
He interviewed countless celebrities, public figures and political leaders, including every US president from Nixon to Trump.
He spoke to celebrities from Snoop Dogg to Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Seinfeld, Frank Sinatra and Paul McCartney.
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Advertise with NZME."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," his representative continued in the announcement.
"Larry's interviews from 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."