American talk show legend Larry King has died aged 87.
He passed away this morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles after a battle with coronavirus
A statement posted online by his Ora Media company confirmed the sad news.
It read: “With profound sadness, Ora Media announces the sad death of our co-founder, host and friend Larry King.
For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry’s may thousands of interviews, awards and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster.
“Additionally, while it was his name appearing in the shows’ titles, Larry always viewed his i nterview subjects as the true stars of his programs, and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience.
Whether he was interviewing a U.S. president, foreign leader, celebrity, scandal-ridden personage or an everymam.”
King was admitted to hospital in Los Angeles In January after contracting Covid-19.
His death comes after years of health problems that plagued the star over the years including battles with lung and prostate cancer.
He also survived a heart attack in 1987 and a near-fatal stroke in 2019, that had left him in a coma for weeks.
King was born Lawrence Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York and began his career as a journalist after moving to Florida.
He started off in radio, landing his first on air presenting gig in 1957 and going on to adopt his new name of Larry King on the advice of his station manager.
He legally changed his name two years later.
In his personal life, King was married eight times, to seven women- marrying and divorcing former Playboy bunny Alene Akins twice during their rocky on/off romance.
His final marriage was to seventh wife Shawn Southwick in 1997, with the pair tying the knot in a Los Angeles hospital shortly before the telly star was due to undergo heart surgery.
Their relationship collapsed in 2010 and they reconciled but filed for divorce again in 2019.
Over the years King became a dad to five children and welcomed nine grandchildren, as well as four great-grandchildren.
