Sir Michael Parkinson king of the chat show has died
Sir Michael Parkinson, a British TV host famous for interviewing stars including Muhammed Ali, John Wayne, Tom Cruise, Madonna and Sir Paul McCartney on his talk show Parkinson, has died. He was 88. Parkinson’s family issued a statement to the BBC on Thursday morning announcing that he had died “peacefully” following a “brief illness.”
“After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family,” the statement said. “The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve.”
A representative for Parkinson did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Parkinson was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1935, per the BBC, and served in the British army before becoming a journalist.
His show Parkinson first aired on the BBC in 1971, and ran for 11 years. In 1998, the show returned to the BBC until 2003, before moving over to rival channel ITV until 2007. During his time hosting his chat show, Parkinson interviewed hundreds of stars, including actor Wayne in 1974.
In one memorable exchange, the host questioned Wayne about the so-called Hollywood Blacklist — a list of those who allegedly had connections with the Communist Party — prompting the actor to deny that anyone was blacklisted.
Other notable interviewees included boxer Ali, who appeared on Parkinson on multiple occasions, Tom Hanks, David Bowie, Victoria and David Beckham, Will Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Clooney.
Source: People
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