Larry King, the legendary broadcaster known for his frank and approachable interviews, has died at the age of 87, according to a statement from his company, Ora Media. King died the morning of January 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after being hospitalized for COVID-19 earlier this January. Born Lawrence Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York in 1933, King began his decades-long career in broadcast media at a Miami radio station in the 1950s, where he covered news, sports, and DJ’d. In the late 1970s, King graduated from the Miami market to a nationally syndicated nighttime radio show, which eventually led to his flagship interview series, Larry King Live on CNN. From 1985 to 2010, King interviewed everyone from sitting presidents and world leaders to tabloid-buzzy celebrities and UFO-sighting believers. King won two Peabody Awards, for his work in both radio and television. Throughout his career, he also poked fun at his persona with appearances as himself on shows like The Simpsons, 30 Rock, and Gravity Falls.
After departing from CNN in 2010, King founded Ora TV and continued conducting high-profile interviews on his new series, Larry King Now. In 2013, he also began airing a weekly politics-based interview series, Politicking With Larry King, both of which King worked on until his death. King is survived by his sons Larry Jr., Chance, and Cannon.