HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE
MOMENTS WITH LARRY KING.
>> ON "LARRY KING LIVE."
>> Reporter: EVER SINCE HE WAS A
CHILD, LARRY KING KNEW WHAT HE
WANTED TO DO.
>> SINCE I WAS 5 YEARS OLD, I
WOULD DREAM OF BEING ON THE
RADIO.
>> Reporter: AT AGE 21, THAT
DREAM CAME TRUE, WITH HUMBLE
BEGINNINGS AT A SMALL FLORIDA
RADIO STATION.
>> DID A RADIO SHOW FROM A
RESTAURANT.
BOBBY DARREN WALKED IN.
JIMMY WALKED IN.
>> Reporter: BIG BREAK CAME IN
1985, WHEN HE WAS HIRED BY CNN.
>> WELCOME TO "LARRY KING LIVE."
>> Reporter: WITH INNATE
CURIOSITY, KING WAS A NATURAL
INTERVIEWER, AS HE EXPLAINED
HERE ON "TODAY."
>> I LOVE ASKING QUESTIONS.
TO ME, I’VE BEEN DOING IT ALL MY
LIFE.
WHEN I WAS 9 YEARS OLD, I ASKED
THE BUS DRIVER, "WHY DO YOU WANT
TO DRIVE A BUS?"
>> Reporter: KING’S SHOW WAS THE
HIGHEST RATED, LONGEST RUNNING
PROGRAM.
>> COLIN POWELL?
>> GREAT SOLDIER, KNOWS NOTHING
ABOUT BUSINESS.
>> WE’LL HAVE THE VICE PRESIDENT
RESPOND.
>> Reporter: BEST KNOWN FOR
ASKING THE QUESTIONS, WE OFTEN
HAD THE CHANCE TO TURN THE
TABLE.
>> I’M INTERESTED IN THE GUEST.
I’M THE CONDUIT.
THE GUEST, THROUGH ME, TO THE
AUDIENCE.
>> Reporter: AT LEAST WE TRIED.
>> DO YOU BRING A CERTAIN
SYMPATHY TO IT?
>> I’M FASCINATED, LESTER, BY
WHAT MAKES THE -- I’D LIKE TO BE
INTERVIEWING YOU NOW.
MUCH RATHER THAN YOU
INTERVIEWING ME.
>> Reporter: OVER THE YEARS, HE
CHATTED WITH AN ESTIMATED 50,000
GUESTS.
AN IMPRESSIVE LIST OF THE MOST
FAMOUS --
>> I TREMBLE EVERY TIME I TAKE A
STEP AND WALK OUT OF THE WING
ONTO THE STAGE.
>> Reporter: -- AND INFAMOUS OF
OUR TIME.
TOO MANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS TO
COUNT, THOUGH THIS ONE IS HIGH
ON THE LIST.
♪ WHEN THE CHAPEL BELLS RING OUT
MAKE HIM AN OFFER HE CAN’T
REFUSE ♪
>> DARLING, GOOD MORNING.
>> Reporter: KING HIMSELF CALLED
WHAT HE DID INFOTAINMENT.
NEVER CLAIMED TO BE A
JOURNALIST.
>> NEVER ONE MOTTO, I NEVER
LEARNED ANYTHING WHEN I WAS
TALKING.
>> Reporter: BRAGGING HE ALMOST
NEVER PREPARED FOR AN INTERVIEW
OR READ THE BOOKS HIS PEOPLE
WERE PROMOTING.
>> NUMBER ONE SHOW IN
TELEVISION, LARRY.
DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?
>> I LIKE KNOWING A LITTLE BIT
AND THEN BEING CURIOUS.
THAT WORKS FOR ME.
WHAT I WORRY ABOUT IS WHEN I
THINK I KNOW TOO MUCH.
THE DAY I GO INTO THE STUDIO
SAYING, I’VE ASKED ALL THE
QUESTIONS AND HEARD ALL THE
ANSWERS IS WHEN I HAVE TO QUIT.
>> Reporter: HE WAS MARRIED
EIGHT TIMES TO SEVEN WOMEN.
>> I NEVER THOUGHT, THIS IS
STRANGE.
I THOUGHT IF PEOPLE WERE MARRIED
FOR A LONG TIME, THEY WERE
STRANGE.
>> Reporter: THE DALAI LAMA
WEIGHED IN ON HIS LOVE LIFE IN
THIS INTERVIEW.
>> MUCH YOUNGER, YES.
>> LOOKS LIKE YOUR DAUGHTER.
>> Reporter: THE SUSPENDERS, THE
STANCE, THE INTERVIEW STYLE.
>> I’M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU THE
TRUTH.
>> WHY TELL THE TRUTH,
ELIZABETH?
BE A MOVIE STAR.
>> Reporter: HE WAS OFTEN
IMITATED.
>> DO YOU OWN A JACKET?
>> WHAT?
>> DO YOU EVER OWN A JACKET?
>> I DO, YEAH, BUT I LIKE THIS
LOOK.
>> JUST CURIOUS.
>> Reporter: THOUGH NEVER
DUPLICATED.
BY ALL ACCOUNTS, DEDICATED TO
HIS CROWD.
>> MR. LARRY KING, WHO IS ALWAYS
TRENDING.
THE HOST OF TWO ONLINE PROGRAMS,
"LARRY KING NOW" AND POLITICKING
WITH LARRY KING.
YOU NEVER SLOW DOWN.
>> I CAN’T SLOW DOWN.
I HAVE A PROBLEM THOUGH, I HAVE
NOTHING TO DO ON THE WEEKEND.
>> HMM.
>> MAYBE "WEEKEND TODAY."
>> Reporter: MORE THAN 60 YEARS
AND 60,000 HOURS OF TV LATER,
HE’LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS AN
ICON AS BIG AS ANY OF HIS
GUESTS.
FOR ALL OF HIS
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, LARRY KING
WANTED TO BE REMEMBERED AS A
GOOD FATHER.
DURING HIS LIFE, HE THOUGHT A
LOT ABOUT DEATH AND SAID HE
WANTED TO SEE IT ALL BEFORE HE
DIED.
WELL, HE CERTAINLY GOT CLOSER
THAN MOST.
BACK TO YOU GUYS.
>> WOW.
>> BOY, NICE WALKING DOWN MEMORY
LANE, SEEING HOW MANY TIMES
LARRY WAS WITH US.
>> YOU COULD HAVE DONE A
THREE-HOUR SEGMENT ON LARRY AND
ALL THE PEOPLE HE INTERVIEWED.
>> AT LEAST.
>> I ALSO THINK ABOUT THE
PEOPLE, SORRY, AT THE DINER IN
BEVERLY HILLS.
LARRY WENT SEVEN DAYS A WEEK,
BETWEEN 7:45 AND 8:15, HE WAS A
FIXTURE FOR 40 YEARS.
HE BOUGHT HIS HOUSE IN BEVERLY
HILLS BECAUSE IT WAS WITHIN
WALKING DISTANCE.
>> MY WIFE WAS OUT THERE ONCE,
WENT IN THE DINER, AND HE WAS
THERE WITH HIS FRIENDS.
SHE WENT UP AND SAID, LARRY, BIG
FAN.
WOULD YOU MINE DOING AN
INTERVIEW?
HE SAID, YEAH.
SHE GOT A CREW AND SAT AND DID
AN INTERVIEW AT THE DINER.
>> WOW.
>> HE INFLUENCED SO MANY PEOPLE.
HE EVEN INFLUENCED OUR EXECUTIVE
PRODUCER.
FIRST JOB IN TV WITH LARRY KING.
GAVE HIM HIS START.
WE’RE JUST GRATEFUL FOR LARRY