Media Giant Larry King Dead At 87

Talk show host Larry King has passed away at 87. King was known for his suspenders and his matter-of-fact style during interviews with everyone from surprise caller O.J. Simpson to every sitting president from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama, as well as Donald Trump many times before he took office.

King, who has sat with scores of celebrities, died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Ora Media, the production company King founded, announced his death on Twitter. They acknowledged the television legend for viewing his subjects as “the true stars of his programs and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guests and audience.” King’s death occurs weeks after he was hospitalized with COVID-19.

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Over five decades, he chatted with an estimated 50,000 people from all walks of life, from presidents and pundits to swindlers and U.F.O. “experts.”

Basketball legend Earvin Magic Johnson said he loved being interviewed by King, who was “always well prepared, asked intelligent questions, & always made the interviews fun, serious, & entertaining!”

King will be remembered for decades of positive journalism and entertaining his audience.

“I’m not confrontational, I’m not there to hammer the guests. … I ask good questions, I listen to the answers, I follow up,” King told The Young Turks in a 2014 interview. “I would have been uncomfortable pointing my finger at the president of the United States.”