US talk show host Larry King in hospital with COVID: Report

Veteran talk show host Larry King, 87, has been hospitalised with COVID-19 for more than a week, the CNN news channel reported.

Citing a “source close to the family,” CNN on Saturday reported that King, one of the network’s biggest stars, has been hospitalised for more than a week at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

King has Type 2 diabetes and has had a long history of medical issues, including several heart attacks, lung cancer and angina, a condition caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.

He has suffered cardiac problems going back to 1987, had lung cancer in 2017, angioplasty and a stroke in 2019, dpa news agency said.

Hospital protocols have kept King’s family members from visiting him.

The legendary host is one of the most recognisable figures on US television, known for his signature rolled-up shirtsleeves, multi-coloured ties, suspenders and big glasses.

The Peabody Award-winning broadcaster was among America’s most prominent interviewers of celebrities, presidents and other newsmakers during a half-century career that included 25 years with a nightly show on CNN.

He hosted CNN’s Larry King Live for 25 years, retiring in 2010. He continued to do interviews on his website. In 2013, he began hosting Larry King Now on Ora TV, an on-demand digital network that he co-founded.

Last year, King lost two of his five children within weeks of each other.

Daughter Chaia King died from lung cancer at 51 in July and son Andy King died of a heart attack at 65 the next month.

King’s most recent Twitter post was November 26, when he shared an image of himself and his two sons while wearing a black Los Angeles Dodgers hat.

“Happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for my boys,” he wrote.