Television great Larry King, who had been battling COVID-19 in hospital, dies at 87

• Emmy-winning broadcaster Larry King has died at the age of 87, his company said in a statement.
• He passed away on Saturday morning in Los Angeles.
• Earlier this month, it was reported that he had been battling COVID-19 in hospital.

Television legend and Emmy-winning political host Larry King has died at the age of 87, his company Ora Media said in a statement.

He passed away on Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, the statement said.

The post did not state the cause of death.

At the start of January, it was revealed that King had been battling COVID-19 in hospital for ten days.

In November 2019, King revealed that he had suffered a stroke that year and was in a coma "for weeks," according to The Hill.

In 2017, he had a cancerous tumor in his lung removed.

King was best known for his show "Larry King Live." He hosted the television talk show nightly for over two decades.

It was CNN's most-watched and longest-running show.

During his unimitable 63-year-long career, King interviewed everyone from Martin Luther King Jr. to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin paid tribute to the broadcaster's "great professionalism" on Saturday morning. In recent years, King had appeared on Kremlin-funded TV station Russia Today.

King was admired for his non-confrontational approach to interviewing, often asking his guests short and uncomplicated questions.

After the news emerged that King had died, celebrities poured in to share their condolences and pay tribute to the broadcasting icon.

Funeral arrangements and a memorial service will be announced later in coordination with his family, Ora Media's statement said.

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