Larry King Died: Top Greatest Moments, Career Highlights

Jenny Barry January 23, 2021 | 23:01

Larry King Died at 87: Top Greatest Moments, Career Highlights. In CNN interview show Larry King Live, the King has conducted some 50,000 interviews with persons of the moment.

Larry King Died: Top Greatest Moments, Career Highlights and Timelife in Pictures

Larry King, the legendary TV host and radio personality recognized by his trademark suspenders and black-rimmed glasses, died Saturday morning at the age of 87after a weekslong battle with COVID-19.He was hospitalized with the disease in late December. He had several health scares in recent years, including multiple heart attacks, a lung cancer diagnosis and a stroke.

Larry King Live leaves many memorable clips.

Larry King Greatest Moments: Frank Sinatra, 1988

The one and only Frank Sinatra was a huge get for Larry King, who ranks the 1988 show as one of his favorites. The Voice was heard on CNN calling writers of kiss-and-tell books "pimps and whores," and saying he would support then Vice-President George (H.W.) Bush for president. More intriguing, though, was the Chairman of the Board's revelation that even he experienced stage fright. "I swear on my mother's soul," Sinatra said, "the first four or five seconds, I tremble every time I take the step and I walk out of the wing onto the stage." Ol' Blue Eyes stepped out for his final public performance in 1995, three years before his death.

Larry King Greatest Moments: The Al Gore/Ross Perot Nafta debate, 1993

For more than a decade, this King-chaired debate between the then vice-president, Al Gore, and Ross Perot over the North America Free Trade Agreement – the US equivalent of the Maastricht treaty – was the most-watched cable broadcast in history. It helped to strengthen Gore's reputation, turned Perot into a perennial target for satirists, and Larry King himself holds it up as his greatest moment.

Over 16 million viewers tuned into Larry King on Nov. 10, 1993 to watch then Vice President Al Gore debate billionaire businessman and infomercial-specialist Ross Perot on the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

arry King presided over the intense 90-minute discussion, during which the prickly, protectionist Perot sparred with Gore, who likened the free trade deal with the politics of "hope" and "change".

Larry King Greatest Moments: The O.J. Simpson Car Chase, 1994

As Jeffery Toobin, CNN's senior legal analyst told The New York Times, the long-running O.J. Simpson trial, which played out nightly on Larry King, was in some ways the perfect story for King "because it combined high and low; you had important issues about justice and race, and the sleaziest celebrities in Los Angeles."

When King began his broadcast on June 17, 1994 his producers told him to go live to footage of the white Ford Bronco. For the next two and a half hours Larry anchored an event that drew in two-thirds of the nation's television households and eventually led to the football star's surrender. Nodding to the incredible impact O.J. chase and subsequent trial had on his show, King once told his viewers, "If we had God booked and O.J. was available, we'd move God.", Time reported.

Larry’s King marriage

He was married eight times, to seven women, beginning with a high school sweetheart in his late teen years, up until his most recent wife, from whom he was estranged at the time of his death.

Despite the marital ups and downs, he relished in fatherhood.

King had five children, including two sons with Southwick that he famously welcomed in his 60s. Sadly, two of his older children died over the course of three weeks in July and August 2019.

Larry King Greatest Moments: Marlon Brando, 1994

There was singing and kissing and pudgy Marlon Brando's bare feet. Those are some of the highlights of Larry King's 1994 interview with the legendary actor. Brando only agreed to do the segment because he had overlooked a provision in his contract with Random House that required him to do at least one interview to promote his book Songs My Mother Taught Me. The screen icon chose Larry King Live because he thought the host was "forthright, sincere, and direct and unexploitative." His only request was that he and King have lunch before the cameras rolled.

They did, and it must have been a good meal because Brando appeared relaxed, playful and even kicked up his bare feet on an ottoman as he answered questions about acting, his youth and, yes, those songs his mother taught him.

Larry King Greatest Moments: Celine Dion breaks down, 2005

Celine Dion's emotionally frenzied appearance here stands out as one of the most memorable responses to Hurricane Katrina. Within the space of seven minutes, Dion cries, screams, launches into a stream-of-consciousness tirade about helicopters and the privilege of touching televisions, apologises for her fury and then bursts into an impromptu rendition of one of her songs. Incredible.

Michael Moore v Sanjay Gupta, 2007

Never one to shy away from a fight, Michael Moore used a 2007 edition of Larry King Live to tackle CNN's chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, over claims that Moore had deliberately fudged some figures in his film Sicko in order to make America look worse than it was.

Larry King Greatest Moments: Dog the Bounty Hunter apologises, 2007

Thanks to his reputation for being a soft touch, Larry King eventually became the first stop on the atonement circuit of every controversial celebrity.

Larry King Greatest Moments: Forgetting Seinfeld, 2007

During an interview with Jerry Seinfeld, King let slip that he couldn't remember how his sitcom ended. What followed was a rant that was only a handful of slap-bass riffs away from being a classic Seinfeld moment. Say what you like about Larry King, but you have to admit that when he didn't care, he really didn't care.

Larry King Greatest Moments: Carrie Prejean walks off, 2009

The non-walkout walkout heard round the world — or at least seen on YouTube. The former Miss California and gay marriage opponent got upset with Larry for asking her why she settled with California pageant officials instead of pursuing a lawsuit.

“Larry, you’re being inappropriate,” Prejean scolded. She took off her mic and earpiece, but inexplicably remained in her seat — with cameras rolling — rather than just walking out the door. A master class in interview brinksmanship.

Heather Mills takes her leg off , 2003/2010

The ex-Mrs. McCartney is like a box of English toffees. You never know what you’re gonna get. And Larry sure didn’t when Mills took off her artificial leg on the air and let him hold it. “Paul’s gonna get upset, you touching my leg, Larry,” she quipped. She removed her appendage again in 2010 to promote the necessity of raising money for artificial limbs in the wake of the Haiti earthquake.

Larry King Greatest Moments: The Haiti Telethon, 2010

After the tragic earthquake in Haiti this January, King organized an all-star telethon to help the relief effort and netted almost $10 million. Mick Jagger, Jennifer Lopez, Ringo Starr, Seal, Ben Stiller, and many more were on hand. For the cause, Larry even auctioned off his suspenders!

Larry King Greatest Moments: Lady Gaga, 2010

Larry could also embrace today’s hottest new stars. Case in point: Lady Gaga. Mother Monster continued the tradition of dressing up like her interviewer (which she started when she previously adopted Barbara Walters’ old lady chic for herself), by donning Larry’s trademark suspenders and glasses, and even having her hair swept back into a similar bowl-shaped ‘do.

King was best known for his two-and-a-half decade run as the raspy-voiced host of “Larry King Live,” CNN’s longest-running program and one of its most-watched.

He rose above personal tragedy, financial despair and half a dozen divorces to become one of the most revered and prolific interviewers in broadcasting.