Oprah to Bill Clinton and more: Celebrities mourn death of legendary Television host Larry King

The iconic talk show host Larry King, one of the most recognisable figures on US television died Saturday at the age of 87.

The company he co-founded, Ora Media, did not state a cause of death but media reports said King had been battling Covid-19 for weeks and had suffered several health problems in recent years. King, with his trademark suspenders, black rim glasses and deep voice, was best known for a 25-year run as a talk show host on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” 

“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,” Ora Media said in a statement posted on Twitter.

King’s long list of interviewees included every US president since 1974, world leaders Yasser Arafat and Vladimir Putin, and celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando and Barbra Streisand.
Tributes from the media, politicians and Hollywood stars poured.

“The world has lost a true broadcasting legend,” CNN founder Ted Turner tweeted.

 

 

British TV hosts Piers Morgan paid tribute to King’s interviewing skills. 

“Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was ‘like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.’ (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert),” said Morgan.

 

 

Oprah Winfrey wrote of King: “It was always a treat to sit at your table. And hear your stories.”

 

 

Former President Bill Clinton shared a message in remembrance of King and recalled being interviewed by him on numerous occasions.

“He had a great sense of humor and a genuine interest in people,” Clinton wrote in a tweet. “He gave a direct line to the American people and worked hard to get the truth for them, with questions that were direct but fair. Farewell, my friend.”

 

Jimmy Kimmel remembered listening to King’s radio show in Baltimore, Maryland, on his way to work early in his career.
 

Josh Gad said that King was a “nightly presence” when he was growing up.

Rapper Akon shared a video from his “Larry King Now” interview in 2014, in which the journalist asked him to describe himself in three words. The artist wrote: “he was the real deal and it didn’t matter where you came from, who you were or the colour of your skin, he welcomed everyone with open arms.”