The American TV presenter, author of the programs that appeared on the RT channel, Larry King, died at the 88th year of his life.
This is stated in messages posted on his Twitter and Facebook pages.
“It is with deep sorrow that Ora Media announces the death of one of our founders, host and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at the age of 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” it said.
The company added that King's thousands of interviews over 63 years on radio, television and digital platforms, as well as awards and worldwide acclaim, underscore his unique and unfading talent as a host.
The cause of the journalist's death was not specified.
In early January, the American division of RT reported that the TV presenter was taken to hospital after he was diagnosed with a coronavirus infection.
In 1987, Larry King underwent heart surgery, and in 2017 he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
In an interview with US Weekly, the journalist said that doctors discovered the disease at an early stage and were able to remove the tumor.
In April 2019, he also underwent elective angioplasty.
After suffering a heart attack in the late 1980s, the journalist founded a foundation to help people who cannot afford heart surgery.
Condolences on the death of the TV presenter were expressed by RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.
“For us, of course, an irreparable, terrible loss.
Not only for us - for the entire industry Larry King was the main legend of our profession, world television, the most recognizable television name in the whole world, ”stressed Simonyan.
Glavred RT added that she is proud of the fact that for the past eight years Larry King has been running programs on RT, mixed with great sadness.
The journalist noted that during his work on the TV channel he received more awards than during his work on CNN, she recalled.
“He always said that he would work on television until his death.
And until his death, this television was our channel, ”said Simonyan.
King himself, speaking in 2015 about cooperation with RT, noted that this information channel is watched all over the world.
“So he is well suited to what I do,” the journalist said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his condolences.
The press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov said that the head of state had met with the journalist several times.
“King has repeatedly interviewed Putin.
The President has always appreciated his highest professionalism and indisputable journalistic authority, "RIA Novosti quotes Peskov.
RT presenter Manila Chan noted that King "was one of the last representatives of that bygone era when journalism was honest, sincere and impartial."
“And I think Larry went beyond journalism ... He was the voice of the people.
He had a genuine interest in the stories of the most ordinary people, and in such personalities as Yitzhak Rabin or Yasser Arafat.
His activities covered all possible media platforms and all categories of the population.
In my opinion, he is part of a generation of journalists that no longer exists, ”said
Larry King, née Lawrence Harvey Zeiger, was born on November 19, 1933 in New York to a family of Jewish immigrants.
He began his work in journalism in 1957 at the radio station WAHR (now WMBM).
The journalist held his first broadcast, replacing the resigned employee - the debut turned out to be successful, and they began to provide him with airtime on an ongoing basis.
Then, on the advice of his manager, he invented a pseudonym for himself - his real name seemed to the boss not too memorable.
As the TV presenter himself said, an advertisement for King's Wholesale Liquor caught his eye, and he decided to take the name of Larry King.
Subsequently, he officially changed his name.
In 1960, the journalist launched a talk show on Miami television, and also ran several entertainment columns in newspapers.
In 1978, on the radio station Mutual Broadcasting System, he began to host his own show, The Larry King Show, which brought him wide popularity.
The format meant communication with invited guests, and listeners could call and ask them their questions.
In 1985, King began hosting the show Larry King Live on CNN, where he also interviewed guests in the studio.
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“A good interview is when you know more after it than before you started.
Perhaps, after him, some of your views should change.
And you should definitely enjoy it.
The interviewer is also a showman, "King said in an interview.
After leaving CNN, Larry King founded Ora TV.
In 2013, a contract was signed between her and the RT America TV channel, according to which two programs of the journalist were exclusively broadcast on RT - Larry King Now and PoliticKing.
The host's guests were bright personalities of our time from various fields - from politics and science to show business and sports.
The Politicking program, in particular, hosted US presidential candidate Donald Trump three months before the 2016 presidential election.
Twice - in 2012 and 2016 - Larry King led the debate of third-party US presidential candidates on RT.
Larry King has received dozens of professional awards throughout his career, including the Peabody and Emmy Awards for Television. In 2015, he was awarded the AIB Lifetime Achievement Award.