Larry King has passed away at the age of 87.
His official Twitter account revealed the news of his death on Saturday morning.
“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,” it read. “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.”
King thought of himself as an interviewer, not a journalist. His exchanges featured “human” rather than “press-conference” questions, which helped him put himself in his listeners’ shoes and ask more honest questions to his guests.
Throughout his over six-decade-long career, King was known for not preparing for interviews, which led to criticism as well as some awkward on-air moments.
On his show, he talked about topics ranging from politics to pop culture moments. During his career, King had over 50,000 interviews with a variety of guests including U.S. presidents, international figures, and celebrities.
King first went nationwide in 1978 with the radio program The Larry King Show. In 1994, the show became a TV/radio talk show simulcast, debuting on CNN as Larry King Live.
For 25 years, Larry King Live was a weeknight fixture. King left the program in 2010 but continued hosting specials for CNN. IN 2012 he started his Web talkshow Larry King Now for Hulu and he told interviewers he would never retire, and he continued working on Larry King Now and Politicking with Lary King until he passed.
