# Larry King dies at 87 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [January 23, 2021, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282 "2021-01-23T12:56:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/1 "2021-01-23T12:56:46Z")
Liked his radio show as a student when I could stay up late. TV show was OK but not as good. > He always said he was a talk show host not a journalist. He was a liberal Democrat ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/2 "2021-01-23T13:48:38Z")
I could swear he’s been 87 for about 30 years now. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/3 "2021-01-23T13:48:42Z")
Larry filled a lot of my late hours too. His show was often informative. RIP ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/4 "2021-01-23T14:29:00Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I could swear he’s been 87 for about 30 years now. I could swear he was already dead. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/5 "2021-01-23T14:31:29Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I could swear he’s been 87 for about 30 years now. They began making “old guy” jokes about him by 1990. It’s just his look, posture, the suspenders, and the whole persona he gave off. George Carlin once said, “Some guys are old guys when they’re kids!” Larry was somewhat like that. I liked Larry pretty well. He could be clueless(he rarely prepped for interviews), but I think he did a good job getting people talking, which is a strength for any interviewer. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/6 "2021-01-23T14:42:24Z")
Circa 90s, I do remember on the live radio show a listener on the line started like: “Who the hell!.” [\* click \* (line is cut off by Larry King or an assistant)] Larry King, as cool as ever then said: "you seem to be upset or hurt about that, take an aspirin… make it a Bayer. [His sponsor then] RIP ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/7 "2021-01-23T14:54:15Z")
I didn’t see it in the obituary image, but he died after being hospitalized for COVID-19. 😡 😡 😡 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/8 "2021-01-23T15:45:47Z")
[Here is a great picture of him from the 1960s.](https://i.redd.it/586cd44c03d61.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/9 "2021-01-23T16:18:56Z")
I liked his bit in The Simpsons _One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Bluefish_ episode where Homer listens to Larry King read The Bible. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MwG90jsLUIk/hqdefault.jpg "audio of Larry King on the simpsons One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish R I P") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwG90jsLUIk) ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/10 "2021-01-23T17:55:35Z")
he always said he did not read the book before he had an author on. I guess one issue was how long it would take to read them all. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/11 "2021-01-23T18:27:45Z")
Lately I’ve seen him hosting cheesy infomercials, done in the form of his old interview show. I wondered why he would do such crappy stuff, but he was married eight times to seven women (he remarried one of them). So perhaps he just needed the money? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/12 "2021-01-23T19:02:26Z")
he separated from his last wife but never got divorced from her. Also 2 of his kids died last year son was 65 daughter was 51. He had 5 kids total ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/13 "2021-01-23T21:54:13Z")
He had a show on RT for a while. Not sure what he may have done to end up there. RIP, Larry. I really enjoyed his TV show, and his radio show when I worked second shift in the late 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/14 "2021-01-24T02:03:00Z")
Maybe he’s not really dead, just in suspender animation. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/15 "2021-01-24T04:17:19Z")
I always confused him with Joe Franklin. “But, the question on everybody’s mind is… how is Elvis… and have you seen him lately…?” - Ghostbusters ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/16 "2021-01-24T04:31:59Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Maybe he’s not really dead, just in suspender animation. You kid, but I’ve read in other forums about his death that he actually said he wanted to be cryogenically suspended at the moment of death, to hopefully be revived in the future once they can cure whatever killed him (and the freezing process). They seem to be referencing this statement by him: > **[Larry King Shocks Guests With Cryogenics Revelation: ‘I Wanna Be Frozen When...](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/larry-king-seth-macfarlane-conan-obrien-frozen-dead-269705/)** > > During his “Dinner With King” special, the former CNN host surprised Seth MacFarlane, Conan O’Brien and company when he discussed his posthumous wish. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/17 "2021-01-24T06:00:07Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I could swear he’s been 87 for about 30 years now. I think he was born 87. But RIP, Larry. During my 15 months in Albuquerque in 1990 and 1991, I had no TV, and it was pre-Internet, so no computer. Just a radio. I would listen to you every night. Fond memories. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/18 "2021-01-24T10:21:46Z")
King’s daughter, Chaia, was just a few years younger than me. I remember he used to talk about her on his late-night radio show when she was in high school. When I heard about her death from lung cancer, it was a stinging reminder of my own age and mortality I used to regularly listen to Larry King’s radio show when I was in high school and college and his death has me thinking about an era of talk radio that’s almost extinct. You rarely encounter talk radio shows that cover a broad variety of topics any more. NPR’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross comes closest but it’s only an hour and has no listeners calling in. With the exception of sports talk, nearly everything else is political and almost always right-wing. Granted, King often did get political during his open-phone portions but it was mixed in with his opinions about sports, television, and what movies he just saw. Also, his callers (when there were polite, sane, and coherent) generally fell along the right-to-left political spectrum or were frequently apolitical. I know I’m in the distinct minority on this but all-political all-the-time talk radio bores me and I say this as someone whose political sympathies run far left-of-center. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/larry-king-dies-at-87/931282/19 "2021-01-24T18:04:21Z")
I always liked that he provided the voice of a very ugly woman in the _Shrek_ movies: [Shrek 2 | The Poison Apple (Little Drop of Poison) HD Clip | Harold Meets Puss in Boots - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg1iPFKCwkU) May he rest in peace.