LEGENDARY broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson has died aged 88 after an incredible 50-year career interviewing the biggest stars.
The BBC chat king sat down with 2,000 celebrity guests and interviewed the likes of Muhammad Ali, David Beckham, David Bowie, Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, George Best and David Attenborough.
His plain-speaking style helped garner a legion of fans and has been emulated by a string of famous interviewers in his wake.
Parkinson first aired on the BBC on June 19 1971, and enjoyed a successful run until 1982. In 1998, the chat show was revived on the BBC and proved an instant hit, before the show switched to ITV1 in 2004 and ran until 2007.
A statement from Sir Michael’s family said: “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.”
Read our Michael Parkinson blog below for the latest updates…
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Sir Michael Parkinson was ‘in good spirits’ in final appearances
Sir Michael Parkinson was “in good spirits” during his final appearances months before his death at 88.
A statement from Sir Michael’s family today confirmed the legendary broadcaster had passed away.
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‘He was always 100% himself’
Stephen Fry has paid tribute to Michaerl Parkinson following the tragic news.
He wrote: “Loved that man. Having grown up watching him interview greats, my first appearance was impossibly thrilling for me.
“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.
“For one of the shows I was on with Robin 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.”
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Michael’s health battles
Back in 2013 the star overcame a battle with cancer.
He gave an interview at the time of his diagnosis saying that the illness had come as a “great shock”.
Parkinson said: “The cancer specialist said: ‘I will assure you, you will not die of this. I am concerned about it, of course, but I am not frightened of it.”
The presenter was given the all clear in 2015 after two years of treatment.
In 2017, Michael had to learn how to walk again after undergoing surgery to correct two ruptured discs.
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What illness did Michael Parkinson have?
Parkinson’s cause of death has not been confirmed but his family did announce his passing in a statement.
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‘King of the intelligent interview’
Eddie Izard has paid tribute to the broadcaster saying: “Very sad to hear that Michael Parkinson has left us. He was the king of the intelligent interview.”
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Lord Sugar added: “Very sad news on the passing of Michael Parkinson . End of a era RIP.”
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Family statement
The legendary broadcaster has died aged 88 after an incredible 50-year career interviewing the biggest stars.
A statement from Sir Michael’s family said: “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.”
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What did Michael go on to do after the Parkinson show?
After the show ended in 1982, the journalist joined The Famous Five morning show alongside David Frost, Angela Rippon, Anna Ford and Robert Kee.
Sir Michael also hosted Good Morning Britain for five years and fronted a string of other popular shows, including Give Us a Clue, All Star Secrets and Parkinson One-To-One.
Along with hosting antiques valuation series Going for a Song in 1995, Sir Michael also enjoyed a comeback of Parkinson that featured a whole raft of modern celebrity guests.
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Tributes flood in for the ‘greatest interviewer’
BBC Radio 4 presenter, Nick Robinson, paid tribute to Sir Michael Parkinson, who he dubbed “the king of the chat show”.
Taking to Twitter he said: “He was the greatest interviewer of our age who owned Saturday night TV for year after year.”
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Parkinson kicked off in 1971
During the 11-year series, Sir Michael interviewed giants from the world of music, film and sport.
Notable guests included Muhammad Ali, David Beckham, David Bowie, Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, George Best and David Attenborough.
There was also an infamous interview in 1976 when Sir Michael sat down with entertainer Rod Hull, whose glove puppet Emu continually attacked the host – eventually causing him to fall off his chair.
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When did he move to TV?
Sir Michael moved from newspapers to television in the late 1960s when he was offered a role on Granada as a local reporter.
He remained at the broadcaster for three years before joining the BBC to work on the late-night news review Twenty-Four Hours with Cliff Michelmore.
After a brief return to Granada where he presented film review series Cinema, Sir Michael was offered his own show Parkinson by the BBC in 1971.
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Sir Michael Parkinson’s early life
Sir Michael, fondly known as Parky, was born in Cudworth, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, in 1935.
He left school aged 16 and cut his teeth in journalism at the Barnsley Chronicle before being drafted for National Service.
After becoming the youngest captain in the Army, Sir Michael joined the Daily Express.
His big break on Fleet Street came after he was handed a weekly sports column in The Sunday Times in 1965.
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Michael Parkinson dies aged 88
SIR Michael Parkinson has died aged 88 after an incredible 50-year career interviewing the biggest stars.
The chat show king sat down with 2,000 celebrity guests after becoming a pioneer of the one-on-one interview format.
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