Farewell To the Legend: Larry King

By: Phillip Seo 

On January 23, 2021, we lost a legend of the entertainment and media industry. Larry King was an iconic American television and talk show host that unlike many other journalists was not confrontational with his questions, and spoke in a respectful and friendly banter tone. In addition, he would converse with a variety of people from presidents and politicians all the way to authors, actors, and celebrities. King has forever impacted the media industry and has left a lasting legacy that will be remembered for generations to come.

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Born on November 19, 1933, Lawrence Harvey Zeiger (Larry King) was raised in Brooklyn, New York, by two Jewish immigrants, Jennie and Edward Zeiger. When King was 10, his father passed away from a heart attack leaving his family shattered and devastated. King began to neglect schoolwork and his education and barely graduated after losing interest about education following his father’s passing. Eventually, he channeled his anger to do things to make his parents proud. 

At 23 years old, King moved to Florida to pursue his dream of becoming a radio broadcaster. He started off sweeping floors at a small AM radio station called WAHR, but after the morning disc jockey left the position, he took over immediately. The general manager told him before he aired for the first time that his actual last name, “Zeiger”, sounded “too German, too Jewish” and suggested the name King. This was the birth of his iconic last nickname. 

After he became more experienced, King started hosting interview shows for local TV stations and hosted radio station shows. He even went to become a commentator for the Miami Dolphins’ broadcasts and also wrote local newspaper columns and articles. 

After being successful for many years and having a decent income, he was hit with many obstacles: he had 8 marriages, he suffered from a gambling addiction, he declared bankruptcy twice, he got arrested, and he faced many more challenges along his life. 

In 1978, King took a large leap in his career as the Mutual Broadcasting System offered him to host a late night radio show. This was when “The Larry King Show” was officially launched. The show spread to over 118 cities and won a Peabody Award in 1982. 

King is most notably remembered for his show “Larry King Live” on CNN, which was launched in 1985 and ran for over 25 years. He was known for wearing his iconic fit of shirt sleeves, suspenders, and black-rimmed glasses while slouching on his chair when interviewing his guests. He was even called nicknames such as “the pope of talk” and “top banana of talk-show hosts”. As previously mentioned, he interviewed everyone from politicians, actors, athletes, celebrities, and even everyday people. In addition, he recorded over 6,000 episodes before retiring in 2010. Furthermore, he covered a wide range of topics from politics, crime, and religion, all the way to sports, business, and current events. In fact, this show became so popular that it became CNN’s highest rated and longest running program which was aired across America and even the entire world. 

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King was hospitalized with COVID-19 in late December, but the cause of his death was not confirmed. Regardless, King was a legendary talk show and radio host that was ionic all the way from his posture to his clothing style. He faced a lot of pain and suffering throughout his life, but he eventually overcame his struggles and persevered so that he may succeed and honor his parents. He is a true testament to why everyone should pursue their passions and dreams. He has forever impacted the journalism and media industry and will be dearly missed and remembered for generations to come. He is survived by three children, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.