海角大神

Larry King was easy to poke fun at, particularly late in his career at CNN: the pinched look, guffaws and coke-bottle glasses, the suspenders and old-time microphone on the desk in front of him.

He was grandpa trying to dance to Drake at a wedding.

But at least grandpa tried, didn鈥檛 he? And if you sat down to talk with him, he could take you places with his words, and you would enjoy the journey. You鈥檇 certainly be sorry if he wasn鈥檛 there.

Hearing about聽聽stirred a similar feeling. The Brooklyn-born King was a classic conversationalist, a throwback to a different era in showbiz and media even during the height of his on-air career.

For 25 years until 2010, 鈥淟arry King Live鈥� was a fixture on CNN鈥檚 weeknight schedule, and that was after a lengthy career as a late-night radio host. King talked to politicians and musicians, the serious and the silly, not as a newsman but as anyone would if suddenly thrust into the room with a famous face.

Sometimes it felt that way; King would never be accused of over-preparing for an interview. Journalists at CNN gnashed their teeth at missed opportunities to show off their toughness and knowledge if they鈥檇 been in his place asking questions of premiers or presidents.

He described himself as a minimalist whose chief goal was to make his guests look good. 鈥淚 ask short questions,鈥� he said once. 鈥淚 have no pretense at intellectuality.鈥�

King could fill a blooper reel of gaffes that would have been fatal to the careers of lesser personalities. He mistakenly addressed Ringo Starr as 鈥淕eorge,鈥� and notoriously asked Jerry Seinfeld if it was his choice to leave his namesake sitcom or if the network had cancelled it.

But, hey, 鈥淪einfeld鈥� aired at 9 p.m. on Thursdays. So did 鈥淟arry King Live.鈥� He was busy.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e not a reminiscencer?鈥� he asked Prince once.

鈥淚s that a word, Larry?鈥� Prince asked.

鈥淚 invented it,鈥� King said.

While King may have sat down to talk to authors without reading their books, he did homework, said Tammy Haddad, his producer for the first eight years King was on CNN. And he wasn鈥檛 necessarily an easy inquisitor. Ross Perot didn鈥檛 intend to announce his candidacy for president on King鈥檚 show in 1992, but the host pressed him - both on the air and during commercial breaks - until he did, Haddad said.

He would make interview subjects feel so comfortable that sometimes they鈥檇 reveal more than they had intended, she said.

鈥淲henever you sat down in Larry King鈥檚 TV living room, you felt like you were just having a conversation with a friend and forgot that millions around the world were watching you,鈥� singer Tony Bennett tweeted on Saturday.

The lineup for King鈥檚 25th anniversary shows - LeBron James, Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Lady Gaga - spoke to the eclectic mix he tried to bring to 鈥淟arry King Live.鈥�

鈥淗e鈥檇 be happy talking to a taxi driver,鈥� Haddad said. 鈥淗e came to each of them with the same level of interest.鈥�

His connections brought in some big names: Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra in the last interview he gave before his death. King also had a penchant for fading B- or C-list stars, and few things gave him more pleasure than laughing with Don Rickles for an hour.

He was more than game enough to speak to a younger generation of stars, too, and took a souped-up ride with Snoop Dogg through the streets of Los Angeles.

鈥淟arry King Live鈥� was a type of show that would feel foreign on cable news today, given its obsession with hard-nosed political combat. Podcasts would now be the closest place to get something similar to what King offered, Haddad said.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 one of the reasons people are so nostalgic about Larry,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey really got to know people [King interviewed] in a way that you just don鈥檛 have the opportunity to do anymore.鈥�

Among the personalities who took time Saturday to tweet memories and photos of themselves with King was filmmaker Kevin Smith.

鈥淢y dad always asked me, 鈥楧id you see who Larry King talked to last night?鈥欌�� Smith wrote. 鈥淲ould鈥檝e blown his mind to know that one day, it would be his son.

鈥淭hanks for that.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.