Renowned British talk show host Michael Parkinson dies at age 88
Michael Parkinson, a renowned broadcaster widely considered Britain’s talk show king, has died at age 88
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Michael Parkinson, a renowned broadcaster widely considered Britain's talk show king has died at age 88.
His family said in a statement to the BBC on Thursday that Parkinson died “peacefully at home last night" after a brief illness.
Parkinson's career included interviews with celebrities such as Muhammed Ali, David Bowie and John Lennon. His talk show, which was called “Parkinson,” first aired on the BBC in June 1971 and enjoyed a successful run until 1982. In 1998, the show was revived on the BBC and proved an instant hit. It then switched to commercial rival ITV in 2004 and ran until 2007.
Parkinson, who was commonly known as Parky, was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 and said of the accolade, “I never expected to be knighted — I thought there was more chance of me turning into a Martian really.”
The celebrities he interviewed also included Fred Astaire, Jimmy Cagney and Orson Welles.
In 2013, he spoke openly about being diagnosed with prostate cancer after a routine health check.
He had three sons with his wife Mary, whom he married in 1959.