With his trademark suspenders and deep baritone voice, Larry King spoke with presidents, world leaders, celebrities, authors, scientists, comedians, athletes — everyone. The Peabody Award-winning broadcaster died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 87.
The death of the famed interviewer was announced on King's Twitter feed in a posting from his production studio, Ora Media. No cause of death was provided, but King had recently been hospitalized with COVID-19.
"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," the statement read. "Additionally, while it was his name appearing in the shows' titles, Larry always viewed his interview subjects as the true star of his programs, and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience."
It's a philosophy that King himself spoke about in a 2017 interview with Jesse Thorn on The Turnaround podcast. "I'm always engrossed in the guest," King said. "I'm always listening to the answer. I'm always learning, so I guess I'm better every day at learning."
The Brooklyn-born King actually was an indifferent student, but said he always had an innate curiosity.