By Hayley Miller and Lee Moran—
The man who literally wrote the book on how to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere has died.
Larry King, the legendary TV host and radio personality recognized by his trademark suspenders and black-rimmed glasses, died Saturday morning at the age of 87 after a weekslong battle with COVID-19. He was hospitalized with the disease in late December. He had several health scares in recent years, including multiple heart attacks, a lung cancer diagnosis and a stroke.
King died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The news was announced on his official Twitter account by the company he co-founded, Ora Media, on Saturday.
“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,” read the statement.
“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,” it continued. “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 was best known for his 25-year run as the raspy-voiced host of “Larry King Live,” CNN’s longest-running program and one of its most-watched.
He rose above personal tragedy, financial despair and half a dozen divorces to become one of the most revered and prolific interviewers in broadcasting.
King was the recipient of numerous accolades during his life, including several Cable ACE Awards, Peabody Awards and lifetime achievement awards. Most recently, he hosted the talks shows “Larry King Now” and “Politicking With Larry King” on Hulu, OraTV and RT America.
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