Larry King Dead: Piers Morgan, Wendy Williams and More Celebrities React

Credit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Larry King Dead: Piers Morgan, Wendy Williams and More Celebrities React

Shortly after news of Larry King’s death broke on Saturday, January 23, tributes to the longtime TV host began pouring in. Piers Morgan, Wendy Williams and Craig Ferguson were among the celebrities who honored him. “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,” a statement shared via his Twitter account on Saturday read. The network noted that the broadcaster’s interviews through the years and the acclaim he received as a result “stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent.” King “always viewed his interview subjects as the true stars of his programs, and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience.” As such, his sit-downs “are consistently referenced by media outlets around the world and remain part of the historical record of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.” The statement concluded: “Ora Media sends our condolences to his surviving children Larry, Jr., Chance, Cannon and the entire King family. Funeral arrangements and a memorial service will be announced later in coordination with the King family, who ask for their privacy at this time.” King was hospitalized in Los Angeles earlier this month after contracting COVID-19. [jwplayer mJ8TSq8v] The Larry King Now host struggled with health issues for years, including a major heart attack which led to quadruple bypass surgery in 1987, lung cancer in 2017, a stroke in March 2019 that left him in a coma for “a couple of weeks,” an angina attack the following month and a blood-flow issue in November 2020. King is survived by his estranged wife, Shawn King — whom he filed for divorce from in 2019 — their two sons, Chance, 21, and Cannon, 20, and son Larry, Jr., 59, whom he shared with ex-wife Annette Kaye. Us Weekly confirmed in August 2020 that two of the radio host’s children died within three weeks of each other. His son Andy suffered a heart attack in July 2020 at age 65, while his daughter, Chaia, succumbed to lung cancer the following month at age 51. “Both of them were good and kind souls and they will be greatly missed,” he wrote via Facebook in August 2020. “Losing them feels so out of order. No parent should have to bury a child.” Scroll through the gallery below to see reactions to King’s death.

Credit: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock

Larry King Dead: Piers Morgan, Wendy Williams and More Celebrities React

Shortly after news of Larry King’s death broke on Saturday, January 23, tributes to the longtime TV host began pouring in. Piers Morgan, Wendy Williams and Craig Ferguson were among the celebrities who honored him. “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,” a statement shared via his Twitter account on Saturday read. The network noted that the broadcaster’s interviews through the years and the acclaim he received as a result “stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent.” King “always viewed his interview subjects as the true stars of his programs, and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience.” As such, his sit-downs “are consistently referenced by media outlets around the world and remain part of the historical record of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.” The statement concluded: “Ora Media sends our condolences to his surviving children Larry, Jr., Chance, Cannon and the entire King family. Funeral arrangements and a memorial service will be announced later in coordination with the King family, who ask for their privacy at this time.” King was hospitalized in Los Angeles earlier this month after contracting COVID-19. [jwplayer mJ8TSq8v] The Larry King Now host struggled with health issues for years, including a major heart attack which led to quadruple bypass surgery in 1987, lung cancer in 2017, a stroke in March 2019 that left him in a coma for “a couple of weeks,” an angina attack the following month and a blood-flow issue in November 2020. King is survived by his estranged wife, Shawn King — whom he filed for divorce from in 2019 — their two sons, Chance, 21, and Cannon, 20, and son Larry, Jr., 59, whom he shared with ex-wife Annette Kaye. Us Weekly confirmed in August 2020 that two of the radio host’s children died within three weeks of each other. His son Andy suffered a heart attack in July 2020 at age 65, while his daughter, Chaia, succumbed to lung cancer the following month at age 51. “Both of them were good and kind souls and they will be greatly missed,” he wrote via Facebook in August 2020. “Losing them feels so out of order. No parent should have to bury a child.” Scroll through the gallery below to see reactions to King’s death.

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Ryan Seacrest

“I lost a dear friend and mentor. Truly an American treasure,” Seacrest tweeted. “Rest in peace, Larry King.” 

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Yvette Nicole Brown

The Community alum only had kind words about King. “@kingsthings was LEGEND!” she gushed via Twitter. “I grew up watching him and am so happy I achieved enough in my life to have been interviewed by this great—which shows his kindness towards even those just starting out. He made you feel worthy. We lost a curious, kind man. #RIPLarryKing.”

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Katie Couric

“Rest in peace to a broadcasting legend,” Couric tweeted, adding a red-heart emoji. 

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Craig Ferguson

“Just heard the awful news about Larry King,” the television host tweeted on Saturday. “He taught me so much. He was a true mensch. He probably even taught me that word. So long pal, thanks for all the laughs. Say hi to [Don] Rickles. #RIPLarryKing.”

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Wendy Williams

“Sad news this morning,” the Wendy Williams Show host wrote via Twitter. “TV broadcasting legend Larry King has passed away. He was 87. #RIP.”

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Johnny Weir

The Olympian recalled a fond encounter with King. “One of the most memorable moments I’ve had in an interview was the first time I met Larry King & he asked me how it felt ‘to be so fierce,’” he tweeted. “May he Rest In Peace. Sending my condolences and prayers to those he leaves behind.”

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Lisa Ling

“Farewell to the legendary #LarryKing with whom I—and everyone—had the best conversations,” the journalist shared via Twitter.

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Piers Morgan

Morgan looked back on his feud with King in a Twitter post. “Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was ‘like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.’ (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert),” he wrote. “But he was a brilliant broadcaster & masterful TV interviewer.”