By Gordon Byrd
Jan 23, 2021
MIAMI Larry King, a broadcasting icon with a long career centered on off-the-cuff interviews, passed away after developing COVID-19, as his social media announced Saturday.
Before he ascended to national prominence, King spent two decades as a radio personality in South Florida.
King, then still known as Larry Zeiger, moved to Miami from Brooklyn in 1957 at the age of 23, after hearing it was a good place to break into radio. He became the overnight disk jockey at WAHR (now WMBM). He worked at various stations before arriving at WIOD in 1962. At WIOD, he began to develop his interview style with a live remote talk show from Pumpernik s deli. King would interview almost anyone in the room, from waiters to celebrities. His style enabled him to land interviews with major celebrities of the era who lived in or visited Miami, including Jackie Gleason and Frank Sinatra.
Larry King dead: Legendary talk show host dies at 87 after coronavirus battle dailystar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailystar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Talk show host Larry King dies aged 87 at LA hospital just three weeks after being transferred from the ICU as he battled COVID after catching it from a health care worker visiting his home
Larry King, the TV and radio host extraordinaire has died aged 87, weeks after testing positive for COVID-19
His production company, Ora Media, confirmed his death in a statement on social media Saturday
No cause of death was given, however, it comes weeks after King was hospitalized with coronavirus
He was reportedly transferred out of the intensive care unit on January 4, but had remained in hospital
King conducted over 50,000 high-profile interviews with presidents, world leaders, Hollywood royalty and sports stars during the course of his 65-year-long career as a TV and radio host
Larry King
The popular interviewer, once the toast of Miami and host of a nationwide radio talk show, prepared as little as possible for each program: I m there to learn.
Larry King, the self-made man from Brooklyn who spent six decades proudly winging it as an interviewer on the radio and as the host of his own nightly talk show on CNN, has died. He was 87.
King died Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to a statement posted to his official social media accounts. A cause of death was not specified, though King was hospitalized with COVID-19 this month.
"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," the statement said. "For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry's many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster."