Longtime CNN host and TV broadcast legend Larry King has died at age 87.
"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," read a statement released early Saturday morning. No cause of death was disclosed, the Associated Press reported.
King was reportedly admitted into the Los Angeles hospital earlier this month with complications stemming from coronavirus. He had previous health issues, including a heart attack back in 1987 and a near-fatal stroke in 2019.
According to CNN, King conducted around 30,000 interviews throughout his 25-year career with the cable news giant. King interviewed every president between Richard Nixon to Donald Trump and international figures including Vladimir Putin and Nelson Mandela.
"Whether he was interviewing a U.S. President, foreign leader, celebrity, scandal-ridden personage, or an everyman, Larry liked to ask short, direct, and uncomplicated questions," continued the statement from Ora. "He believed concise questions usually provided the best answers, and he was not wrong in that belief."
— Larry King (@kingsthings) January 23, 2021
King was "under observation" beginning in late December, his son Larry King Jr., told the Tampa Bay Times in an article published Tuesday: "[My father] is receiving great medical care from his doctors, who plan to keep him under observation for the time being. My brothers and I stay in touch with him via video calls on a daily basis. He is very appreciative of all the people around the world wishing him well and he looks forward to being home soon."
His primetime, namesake show first launched in 1985. He was replaced at CNN in 2015 by British TV host Piers Morgan in what ultimately was a contentious transition.
CNN's Brian Stelter called King a "national and international treasure" Saturday morning:
Indeed – Larry King was a national and international treasure – we're in rolling live coverage on @CNN right now https://t.co/vqsCtqxFEI
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 23, 2021
Stelter also shared a statement by CNN president Jeff Zucker, who said of King: "We are so proud of the 25 years he spent with CNN, where his newsmaker interviews truly put the network on the international stage."
CNN president Jeff Zucker's statement on Larry King's passing: "From our CNN family to Larry's, we send our thoughts and prayers, and a promise to carry on his curiosity for the world in our work." pic.twitter.com/a5rGdSIWa0
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 23, 2021
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo offered condolences to the journalist's family and friends:
"Larry King was a Brooklyn boy who become a newsman who interviewed the newsmakers. He conducted over 50,000 interviews that informed Americans in a clear and plain way. New York sends condolences to his family and many friends."
Larry King was a Brooklyn boy who become a newsman who interviewed the newsmakers. He conducted over 50,000 interviews that informed Americans in a clear and plain way.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 23, 2021
New York sends condolences to his family and many friends.
King, a New York City native, is survived by children Larry, Jr., Chance, and Cannon. He was married eight times to seven women. His final marriage to Shawn Southwick ended in divorce in 2019.
Born Lawrence Zeiger in Brooklyn in 1939, he adopted his more famous moniker in the late 1950s.
Newsweek reached out to representatives at CNN and with King's family for additional remarks and reaction Saturday morning.
Updated 9:35 AM ET, with additional information.
