Veteran talk show host Larry King has died at the age of 87. The broadcaster died on Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
King’s production studio, Ora Media, announced his death on his Twitter feed early on Saturday.
“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 read.
“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 continued.
Larry King cause of death
The statement by Ora Media did not reveal a cause of death. However, King’s death comes after Monsters and Critics reported on January 2 that the octogenarian was hospitalized in Los Angeles after testing positive for COVID-19.
He was placed in isolation and members of his family were unable to visit him.
— Larry King (@kingsthings) January 23, 2021
He was reportedly transferred out of ICU on January 4 but remained in the hospital for further treatment.
King also suffered from various health issues in the years before he died. He underwent surgery after a heart attack in 1987 and a near-fatal stroke in 2019.
He also battled numerous other health issues in the past, including lung and prostate cancer, and type two diabetes, according to the Daily Mail.
King’s death comes after Dawn Wells, Gilligan’s Island star, died at 82 from COVID-19-related causes.
King faced personal tragedies over the years
In 2020, King’s son, Andy, died after suffering a heart attack. The broadcast veteran also lost his daughter, Chaia, to lung cancer.
Chaia died weeks after Andy.
Larry King bio
Larry King was born in Brooklyn in 1933. His birth name was Lawrence Harvey Zeiger.
He was known for hosting the radio talk show, The Larry King Show, from 1978 to 1994. From 1985 to 2010, he hosted Larry King Live on CNN.
His talk show guests included celebs, such as Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, and public figures, such as Hillary Clinton, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, and the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
After leaving CNN, he hosted Larry King Now and Politicking with Larry King on Hulu and RT America.
He won the Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 1989 and 1996 respectively.
He was married multiple times. He filed for divorce from his most recent wife Shawn in 2019 after 23 years of marriage.
He is survived by his children, Chance and Cannon.