He has interviewed presidents, royalty and stars of all kinds. But after 25 years, tonight saw the final episode of CNN chat show Larry King Live..
The last day of the 77-year-old's show was so heralded, that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed Thursday 'Larry King Day'.
And not one but two presidents - Barack Obama and Bill Clinton - joined those lining up to pay tribute to King, surprising many.
In a message recorded at the White House President Obama told viewers: 'I want to join all of you in congratulating Larry King.'
Tribute: President Barack Obama paid tribute to Larry King on his final CNN talkshow
Tribute: President Barack Obama paid tribute to Larry King on his final CNN talkshow
And another: President Bill Clinton also found the time to appear on the show
And another: President Bill Clinton also found the time to appear on the show
Former president Clinton added: 'Thank you for the years, you were great.'
But perhaps the guests who meant the most to King were his family, who joined him to watch as crooner Tony Bennett, 84, sang The Best Is Yet To Come.
Chance, 11, was looking forward to the future, and having his dad at his baseball games: 'I'm really happy because now I can be with you more and probably be with you more.' And Cannon, ten, added: 'It's gonna be great.'
All the family: Larry King, a father of five, was joined by wife Shawn and sons Chace and Cannon
All the family: King, a father of five, was joined by wife Shawn and sons Chace and Cannon
King himself had kept the day low key as he kept to his normal morning routine of breakfast with friends in Beverly Hills, seeming somewhat bemused by the camera crews there to greet him.
And he opened his show in a similar tone, joking: 'I knew this day was coming. These words aren't easy to say... Bill Maher.'
But by the end of the show the tears had come, and King told his audience: 'It's not very often in my life I've been lost for words.
Barbara Walters
Diane Sawyer
A last goodbye: TV legends Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyers wave goodbye to Larry
'I want to thank everybody associated with this programme, everybody that makes it possible - even the suits at the top.
'When I started out 25 years ago in a little studio in Washington DC I never thought it would last as long as this.'
King promised he wasn't going away for good, and would still appear on CNN from time to time.
'I don't know what to say, so instead I'll say this to you, my audience. Thank you. And instead of goodbye, how about so long.'
Last moments: King and his family joined by Maher, Seacrest and Dr Phil at the end of his final show
Last moments: King and his family joined by Maher, Seacrest and Dr Phil at the end of his final show
Dr Phil
Katie Couric
Saying goodbye: Talkshow host Dr Phil and American journalist Katie Couric
During the show King had admitted he found it impossible to pick a favourite interview, from amongst the 50,000 plus he has conducted. 'It's hard,' he said.
But one thing he wasn't indecisive about was his trademark braces. 'I will never hang up my suspenders,' he joked.
On a lighter note, Ryan Seacrest reminisced about the day they first met, at an airport in Paris.
Not recognising the American Idol host, King asked him to carry his bags. After his wife pointed out his mistake, King invited Seacrest onto his show.
Also on the show were some of the most powerful women in television.
Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, and Diane Sawyers all appeared.
The Best Is Yet To Come: Crooner Tony Bennett sings to King
The Best Is Yet To Come: Crooner Tony Bennett sings to King
Larry King
Bill Maher
Guests: Ryan Seacrest, left, and Bill Maher joined Larry King on his final show
But, while the talkshow host seemed determined to keep things on a relaxed note, others gave the event the solemnity they felt it deserved.
After he's gone: King's empty microphone; the set has now been donated to the Smithsonian
After he's gone: King's empty microphone; the set has now been donated to the Smithsonian
CNN rival MSNBC even paid tribute to King by taking out a full-page advert in USA Today. It called King 'one of a kind' and thanked him for 'everything you've done to advance cable news.'
And a proclamation signed by Schwarzenegger, who appeared on the show, added: 'Larry King has transformed himself into a household name.
'An indisputable legend in both the entertainment and media industries, King has changed the concept of the talk show within his lifetime.'
With the end of the show, King's set will be donated to the Smithsonian in Washington.
In June, the television and radio icon announced he would end his run as the host of the long-running program to spend more time with his family.
But there is widespread speculation that CNN pulled the plug because of his flagging ratings and well publicised marital problems.
King has been married a total of eight times, to a total of seven different women.
It's over: King and his family leave the studio after his final show
It's over: King and his family leave the studio after his final show
He came close to divorce earlier this year after his current wife, Shawn Southwick filed papers, alleging King had been embroiled in an affair with her sister, Shannon.
Shannon vehemently denied an affair and Larry and Shawn seemed to work through their troubles, halting divorce proceedings and reconciling.
But, the drama was far from over. Shawn attempted suicide after overdosing on prescription pills.
Famous guests: Frank Sinatra is among the 50,000 interviewees to have starred in the more than 6,000 shows
Famous guests: Frank Sinatra is among the 50,000 interviewees to have starred in the more than 6,000 shows
So man memorable shows: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has appeared on King's show many times
So many memorable shows: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton appeared on King's show 28 times, and made one final appearance tonight
As well as his personal struggles, King has also endured career troubles this past year, fighting against declining ratings and trying to stay relevant in an ever changing and ever more competitive market.
The show currently ranks third in his time slot behind Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, the Associated Press said, adding that Larry King Live drew about 700,000 viewers in 2010, down from an average of 1.64 nightly viewers in 1998, the show's peak year.
Over the years, King has conducted some 50,000 interviews in a broadcasting career where he worked for decades in radio before joining CNN in 1985.
Memorable moments: The late great Marlon Brando gave a bizarre interview with King in 2005 which even resulted in a big kiss on the lips
Memorable moments: The late great Marlon Brando gave a bizarre interview with King in 2005 which even resulted in a big kiss on the lips
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed Thursday 'Larry King Day'.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed Thursday 'Larry King Day'
According to CNN: 'Larry King broadcast for 20 consecutive nights in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina.'
HIS TOP INTERVIEWEES
During his two decades at CNN, King has recorded more than 6,000 shows, consistently making headlines with such high-profile guests as Tony Blair, Marlon Brando, George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, George W. Bush and Laura Bush, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Carter and Roslyn Carter, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Bette Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., Mark 'dp' Felt, Gerald Ford and Betty Ford, Jackie Gleason, Mikhail Gorbachev, Billy Graham, Audrey Hepburn, Bob Hope, L.Ron Hubbard, Michael Jordan, Bobby Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ken Lay, Monica Lewinsky, Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, Richard Nixon, Al Pacino, Marianne Pearl, Prince, Barbra Streisand, Martha Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret Thatcher and Oprah Winfrey.
'His post-disaster programming included interviews with more than 250 guests and a live, three-hour network special', the cable network wrote on its website CNN.com.
King has also been inducted into five of America's leading broadcasting halls of fame and and he has won the George Foster Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.
The city of Los Angeles has named a street after him and a few weeks ago, the city tapped King to be Grand Marshall of the Hollywood Christmas Parade.
King, who has been described as the 'Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview' is believed to be planning some time off after his departure, but will still host occasional specials for CNN.
British talk-show host and America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan, 45, will take over King's coveted time slot in January.
Morgan has acknowledged that King's shoes are large ones to fill, quipping that it's like following 'Sinatra in Vegas'.
The former Daily Mirror editor has said that he wants the show to be 'provocative and challenging' and that he wants U.S. President Barack Obama to be one of his first guests.
Setting the record straight: Wesley Snipes with his lawyer Daniel R. Meachum went on King's show last month to talk about the actor's talk troubles
Heartfelt moment: King scored the much coveted Paris Hilton post-jail interview in 2007 during which she cried tears of remorse, claimed to have read the bible every day in jail and vowed she was a 'changed person'
Setting the record straight: Wesley Snipes went on King last month to admit his tax troubles, while King scored the much coveted Paris Hilton post-jail interview in 2007 during which she vowed she was a 'changed person'
Presidential: Over the years King has interviewed all the U.S. Presidents at one time or another as well as world leaders
Presidential: Over the years King has interviewed all the U.S. Presidents as well as many of the most prominent world leaders
Who is Larry King?
Young whipper snapper: King as a fledging broadcaster 21 years ago, at an event in 1989
Young whipper snapper: King as a fledging broadcaster 21 years ago, at an event in 1989
Born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on November 19, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York, King became a television and radio icon.
King's father, Edward Zeiger, was a restaurant owner and defence plant worker, and his mother Jennie Gitlitz, was a garment worker.
Although King was raised in a strictly religious and observant Jewish household, in later life he turned his back on the faith and became an agnostic.
Zeiger died from heart disease at the young age of 44, forcing King's mother to go on welfare to support her two young sons.
After graduating from High school King started work full time to help support his mother, but he always knew he wanted to pursue a career in showbusiness or journalism in some way.
King began his broadcast career in the 1950s as a local journalist and radio interviewer in Florida.
He rose through the ranks to become a prominent all-night national radio broadcaster starting in 1978, and then, in 1985, began hosting the nightly interview TV program Larry King Live on CNN.
Over his expansive career he has earned an Emmy, two Peabody Awards and ten Cable ACE Awards amongst other accolades.
And the future: With King gone, a trailer for Piers Morgan's new show was screened on CNN
And the future: With King gone, a trailer for Piers Morgan's new show was screened on CNN.
my comment:
hmmmm has CNN become Britain has got Talent We know paul potts and xfactor's rhydian but Mr morgan ? aint he the grouchy guy that simon cowell hangs out with lol !
| Posted: at | |
lomo1st
wunzie
kebella
........yu already no that 
...heheh...if yu wanna smell what kebella is cooking........bring it up!!
lafaze
igweshi
SNYPER
sixtyhoneyy
golfjones
ILOVEIT
MissyBarbie
aliaaz
;)
micc
bali4real
Solidstonez
TRENDING GISTS 
VIDEO: "I Am A Late Bloomer" - Lady Says As She Acquires Her First Car At 32
BBN Neo Cries Out Over Accusations Of His Having Affair With AY Makun's Estranged Wife, Mabel
Singer Portable Slams His Wife, Bewaji, For Excluding Him From Her Birthday Message To Herself
Banner Calling Out "Home Wrecker" With Her Face & Work Place Display On Plastered By A Roadside
How Bandits Storm Kaduna Community In Fresh Attack, Killed 23 Persons
I Wish They'll Bring Back Those Days When Men Will Go To War And Never Return - Woman Blows Hot
Controversial Singer, Portable Celebrates Wife, Bewaji On Her Birthday, Shares Lovely Photos
Is It Normal For A Man To Wash His Partner's Pant? - Actor Adeniyi Johnson Asks