Born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, the United States in 1933 to Jennie – a garment worker – and Aaron Zeiger – a restaurant owner – Larry King went on to become one of the greatest faces of broadcasting.
He was one of two children and was affected in childhood by the death of his father, a loss that caused him to lose interest in educational activities.
Larry King was confirmed dead on Saturday January 23, 2021 by his son Chance.
King shared the screen with presidents and other notable personalities, including everyday people who had something to tell.
His death, according to a released statement, was coronavirus-related.
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Here are 7 things to know about the Larry King, the rockstar of broadcasting.
- He was raised by his mother Jennie after she lost her husband, his father, Aaron, to a heart attack.
- Larry King never attended college, his interest in education was lost after his father’s passing. Following his graduation from Lafayette High School, King hit the ground running in the pursuit of his career in TV.
- After he had been told by his first boss that his last name ‘Zeiger’ was “too ethnic”, the search for a name that was appealing began and an ad for King’s Wholesale Liquors he had chanced upon in a paper inspired adoption of ‘King’ as his last name.
- King had once disclosed that he almost never prepared for his interviews, as this enabled him to learn new things about his subject for interviews.
- The year 1971 almost broke King when he was accused by a former business partner Louis Wolfson of holding on to $5,000 meant for New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, an investigator into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The charges were dismissed but that caused him his column at the Miami Beach Sun newspaper and his broadcasting job at WIOD (albeit briefly).
- King worked for CNN for 25 years, hosting the ‘Larry King Live’ show, and according to CNN he conducted more than 30,000 interviews.
7.King has tied the knot eight times to seven women.
