Larry King Obituary, Death – Larry King, the suspendered impresario of cable television whose popular CNN interview program was a premier haven for the famous and the infamous to spill their secrets, hype their projects, and soften their image, passed away on January 23 at a hospital in Los Angeles. His program was known for its guest-friendly questions and conversational banter. He was 87. According to the Associated Press, the production firm that he had helped start, Ora Media, made the announcement of his passing but did not cite a reason for his passing. At the beginning of this month, CNN reported that Mr. King had been admitted to the hospital due to difficulties associated with covid-19. The television personality, who had suffered from a variety of health issues for a significant amount of time, including diabetes and heart attacks, had surgery in 2017 to remove lung cancer in an early stage and suffered a stroke in 2019.
Mr. King had a career that covered print and radio, but he is best remembered for his time spent in the anchor chair of his prime-time CNN show “Larry King Live” from 1985 to 2010. During that period, he was seated behind a bulbous RCA microphone. In the late 1950s, he began his career as a disc jockey in Miami. Subsequently, he published a column for USA Today that featured stream-of-consciousness musings for over 20 years. Additionally, he had a late-night radio show on the Mutual Broadcasting System that was broadcast on more than 200 stations. He appeared as himself in scores of movies and television series.
At the height of Mr. King’s career, it was more accurate to call him an understatement than an exaggeration when CNN’s founder Ted Turner referred to him as “the most famous interviewer in the world.” His show, which featured a multicolored dot map of the world in the background, attracted more than 1.5 million viewers each night for segments featuring guests such as George H.W. Bush, Frank Sinatra, Snoop Dogg, Magic Johnson, Donald Trump, Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Moammar Gaddafi, the Dalai Lama, and Marlon Brando, who, in a playful and bizarre manner, sang an old pop song and planted a kiss on Mr. King.
A sex therapist, a ufologist, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy were among the other guests that made an appearance. In recognition of the host, the Muppets donned suspenders throughout the show. The audience was receptive to the gentle probing, smoky baritone, and relaxed demeanor that Mr. King displayed. His CNN show offered as a welcome diversion from the nonstop coverage of breaking news and partisan shouting matches that were otherwise prevalent on the network. Mr. King’s show was like a comfortable chaise longue in comparison to other interview programs, which were more like beds of nails with their “gotcha” questions directed at newsmakers.