Some celebrities have mourned the passage of legendary American talk show host, Larry King, who died at 87.
American columnist and author, Meghan McCain, reacted to the death on Twitter, saying “Absolutely everything. The world is far less interesting without you.”
American author, George Takei, thanked King for the ‘countless interviews’ over the years.
Takei wrote on Twitter, “You understood human triumph and frailty equally well, and that is no easy feat. There was no one else like you, and you shall be missed. Rest with the heavens now.”
Singer, Cat Stevens was also on Twitter to share that he was, “sad to hear of Larry King’s passing. God rest his soul.”
Watch What Happens Live host, Andy Cohen, said on Twitter, “RIP Larry King! I loved the easy breezy format of his CNN show and his amazing voice.”
Comedian, DL Hughley, also paid his respects, writing, “Rip to an icon, Larry King, rest easy; your work here is done and your legacy will live on. TeamDL.”
King died on Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his production company Ora Media announced.
The multiple-award-winning broadcaster before his death had hosted 50,000 interviews. In his career of over six-decade which included 25 years hosting his own nightly programme on CNN, has interviewed various influential people across all sectors including g politics, sports, entertainment and others.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation website, at its peak, his King’s Live Show on CNN was bringing in 1.5 million viewers a night. When the final episode aired in 2010, it was the longest-running show hosted by the same person.
In a recorded message on his final show, then-US President Barack Obama described him as the “Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview who had “opened our eyes to the world beyond our living rooms,” CNN said.
King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933. He grew up in a religious and observant Jewish household, although in later life he became an agnostic. After his father, Edward’s death at 44, King worked to support his mother for several years after graduating high school.
However, having realised he wanted to work in broadcasting, King moved to Florida in his early 20s to work at a radio station. It is said that minutes before going on air for the first time, he was told by the station boss to change his last name to something “less ethnic”, and chose King after glancing at a newspaper advert for King’s Wholesale Liquor.
