Beloved broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson has died at the age of 88, his family have confirmed.
A statement from his family read: “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.
“The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve.”
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The BBC broadcaster’s impressive career spanned across seven decades, with the TV presenter interviewing some of the biggest stars on his long-running chat show.
(Image: BBC)
Some of his high-profile guests included Sir Billy Connolly, Muhammad Ali, Sir Elton John, Madonna and David Beckham.
Taking to social media platform his famous friends and loyal legion of fans shared their sympathies online.
Comedian Stephen Fry described being interviewed by the broadcast as “impossibly thrilling.”
He wrote: “The genius of Parky was that (unlike most people and most of his guests, me included) he was always 100% himself. On camera and off. ‘Authentic’ is the word I suppose.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“For one of the shows I was on with Robbin Williams, a genius of unimaginable comic speed and brilliance. Now they’re both gone.
“One should get used to the parade of people constantly falling off the edge, but frankly one doesn’t. So long #parky.”
Sir Lord Alan Sugar added: “Very sad news on the passing of Michael Parkinson. End of an era RIP.”
(Image: PA)
The director-general of the BBC also paid tribute to the late star and branded him “the king of the chat show” and an “incredible broadcaster and journalist.”
In a statement, Tim Davie said: “Michael was the king of the chat show and he defined the format for all the presenters and shows that followed.
“He interviewed the biggest stars of the 20th century and did so in a way that enthralled the public. Michael was not only brilliant at asking questions, he was also a wonderful listener.
(Image: BBC)
“Michael was truly one of a kind, an incredible broadcaster and journalist who will be hugely missed.”
BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson added: “He was the greatest interviewer of our age who owned Saturday night TV for year after year.
“Michael Parkinson – king of the chat show – has died.”
Meanwhile, former BBC News anchor Simon McCoy tweeted: “Simply the Best. Anyone who was interviewed by him. What an amazing career he had. Thoughts with his family.”
(Image: ITV)
The chat show host became a familiar face on both the BBC and ITV because of his Hollywood interviews, most notably on the BBC show Parkinson.
His show first launched on the BBC on June 19, 1971 and enjoyed a successful run until 1982 – but that wasn’t enough to slow him down.
In 1998, his chat show was revived and certainly came back with a bang with his late-night show becoming an instant hit with viewers up and down the country.
(Image: Daily Mirror)
His show switched from the BBC to ITV1 back in 2004 and ran for a further three years before he retired from the show in the same year he stepped back from his Sunday morning Radio 2 programme.
Other legendary names he has interviewed include David Bowie, John Lennon and Celine Dion but arguable his headline-making interviews was with actresses Dame Helen Mirren and US star Meg Ryan.
The presenter famously introduced the stage and screen star Helen as the “sex queen” of the Royal Shakespeare Company during their 1975 chat.
(Image: BBC/Parkinson Productions/Jamie Gramston)
During their interview, he cheekily asked her if her “equipment” had hindered her ability to be recognised as a serious actress.
It’s fair to say tensions were high during his 2003 interview with Meg Ryan who was promoting her poorly reviewed erotic thriller In The Cut.
The pair shared a frosty exchange, delivering one-word answers after allegedly being rude to her fellow guests on the show including fashion double act Trinny and Susannah.
(Image: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)
Before he found success as a well-respected journalist, he started life as an only child who grew up in a council house in the coalmining village of Codworth, near Barnsley in South Yorkshire.
When he was just a teenager, his father – a miner – took him down to the put to put him off following in his shoes as he started exploring what line of work to go into.
When his dreams of playing cricket for Yorkshire were dashes, the journalist left school at 16 and began working at his local paper before joining the Manchester Guardian and the Daily Express.
(Image: Getty Images)
His first TV job was as a producer at Granada, with the broadcaster quickly moving on to Thames TV before he landed his hugely successful chat show Parkinson at the BBC.
He also had a short-lived term at TV-am as part of the original presenting line-up alongside the likes of Angela Rippon and David Frist, and later became a regular on Give Us A Clue, one-off drama Ghostwatch and Going For A Song.
After 30 years of his chat show, which ended in 2007, he thanked his star-studded guests for their appearances on his show.
(Image: BBC)
He gushed: “Over the years it has been a privilege to meet some of the most intelligent and interesting people. It has always been a great joy and I shall miss it.”
As well as an impressive TV career, Parkinson also had a well-respected radio career having hosted Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 as well as his own sports show on Five Live. He was also an award-winning sports writer as a lifelong cricket fan.
The broadcaster received an honorary doctorate back in 2008, alongside cricket umpire and close friend Dickie Bird at the Barnsley campus of Huddersfield University.
(Image: PA)
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He was knighted by the late Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2008, and said of his accolade: “I never expected to be knighted – I thought there was more chance of me turning into a Martian really.”
Back in 2013, the TV star revealed he was receiving radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer, and received the all-clear from doctors just two years later.
Parkinson is survived by his three sons and his wife Mary who he married back in 1959.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
