Larry King, the celebrated American television and radio host, has died at the age of 87, weeks after battling COVID-19.
King’s production company announced his death in a statement posted on the deceased media personality’s own Twitter account on Saturday.
Ora Media, which Mr. King co-founded in 2012, said he had died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“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,” the statement said. “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.”
— Larry King (@kingsthings) January 23, 2021
King had been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a COVID-19 infection, according to several reports from the US media. Though it was not ruled as the cause of his death.
King conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six-decade career, which included 25 years at CNN.
He hosted “Larry King Live” at CNN for over a quarter century, interviewing presidential candidates, celebrities, athletes, movie stars and everyday people. The multiple award-winning broadcaster retired in 2010 after taping more than 6,000 episodes of the show.
Married eight times, King lost two of his five children in 2020 and is survived by his estranged wife, Shaun Southwick, and three children.
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