Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger) the legendary talk show host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers and his sartorial sensibilities, was a US broadcasting giant, who achieved international recognition for interviewing celebrities, political and religious leaders. He conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his amazing over sixty years career, which included 25 years as host of the popular CNN talk show “Larry King Live,” and bagged awards like an Emmy, tw... moreLarry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger) the legendary talk show host who became an icon through his interviews with countless newsmakers and his sartorial sensibilities, was a US broadcasting giant, who achieved international recognition for interviewing celebrities, political and religious leaders. He conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his amazing over sixty years career, which included 25 years as host of the popular CNN talk show “Larry King Live,” and bagged awards like an Emmy, two Peabody’s, and ten Cable Ace Awards.
Larry started off when, as a cleaner for a Florida radio, he was asked to fill in a disc jockey in 1957 and acquired the name King minutes before going on-air when his manager claimed that Zeiger was too difficult to remember. He became a radio interviewer in the Miami area working for WMBM in the 1950s and 1960s; known internationally from 1978 when he started hosting the popular show, “Larry King Show.” He hosted an all-night nationwide call-in radio program on the Mutual Broadcasting System. From 1985 to 2010, he hosted the popular nightly interview TV program “The Larry King Show.” From 2012 to 2020, he hosted “Larry King Now” and Politicking with Larry King, a weekly political talk show which aired on Ora TV, RT America and Hulu. He also featured in various TV series and films where he usually played the Larry King himself.
Larry launched the Larry King Live in 1985 on CNN and soon became one of the network’s biggest stars on a broadcasted program around the world, which was a success with audiences. Larry King interviewed every sitting US president, from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama and several world leaders. He also interviewed other high-profile guests like Dr Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Lady Gaga. However, in 2010, after 25 years, his ratings had dropped significantly and filled with criticism that in an era of aggressive interviewing styles, King’s approach felt outdated. King announced his retirement to host another program, Larry King Now, broadcasted on Ora T.V and Hulu.
The talk show host, famous for his rolled-up sleeves and for his braces had faced several health problems, including heart attacks. Outside broadcasting King founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation in 1988, a charity that supports heart treatment funding’s for those with no medical insurance or limited financial capabilities.
The legendary TV and radio host died of sepsis on January 23, 2021, at 87 and other two underlying conditions that led to sepsis, including acute hypoxic respiratory failure and not having enough oxygen in his blood.
