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King had been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a COVID-19
infection, according to several media reports. He had endured
health problems for many years, including a near-fatal stroke in
2019 and diabetes.
He had been hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles for more than a week, CNN reported.
Millions watched King interview world leaders, entertainers and
other celebrities on CNN's "Larry King Live", which ran from
1985 to 2010. Hunched over his desk in rolled-up shirt sleeves
and owlish glasses, he made his show one of the network's prime
attractions with a mix of interviews, political discussions,
current event debates and phone calls from viewers.
Even in his heyday, critics accused King of doing little
pre-interview research and tossing softball questions to guests
who were free to give unchallenged, self-promoting answers. He
responded by conceding he did not do much research so that he
could learn along with his viewers. Besides, King said, he never
wanted to be perceived as a journalist.
"My duty, as I see it, is I'm a conduit," King told the Hartford
Courant in 2007. "“I ask the best questions I can. I listen to
the answers. I try to follow up. And hopefully the audience
makes a conclusion. I'm not there to make a conclusion. I'm not
a soapbox talk-show host... So what I try to do is present
someone in the best light."
(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Scott Malone and Bill Trott, Editing
by Dave Gregorio, Rosalba O'Brien and Alex Richardson)
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