(CNN)Here's a look at the life of talk-show host Larry King, who conducted more than 30,000 interviews, including with sitting US presidents from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama.
Personal
Birth date: November 19, 1933
Death date: January 23, 2021
Birth place: Brooklyn, New York
Birth name: Lawrence Harvey Zeiger
Father: Edward Zeiger, a restaurant owner
Mother: Jennie (Gitlitz) Zeiger
Marriages: Shawn Southwick (1997-January 23, 2021, his death, had filed for divorce in 2019); Julie Alexander (1989-1992, divorced); Sharon Lepore (1976-1983, divorced); Alene Akins (1967-1971, divorced); Mickey Sutphin (1964-1966, divorced); Alene Akins (1961-1963, divorced); Annette Kaye (divorced); Freda Miller (divorced)
Children: with Shawn Southwick: Cannon, Chance and Danny Southwick (stepson); with Alene Akins: Andy and Chaia; with Mickey Sutphin: Kelly; with Annette Kaye: Larry Jr.
Other Facts
Surviving heart problems, including several heart attacks and quintuple bypass surgery in 1987, led King to establish the Larry King Cardiac Foundation to help those without insurance afford medical treatment.
His marriage to Shawn Southwick took place at UCLA Medical Center as King was being admitted for chest pains and just before undergoing cardiac surgery.
Appeared as himself in numerous films and television programs and published over twenty books including his autobiography, a novel and a children's book with one of his daughters.
Hosted a podcast with his wife Shawn, "Back and Forth with Shawn and Larry King."
Nominated for eight News and Documentary Emmy Awards and won two. King was also presented with a lifetime achievement award in 2011.
King was arrested in 1971 for grand larceny but was never prosecuted due to the statute of limitations. The trouble started when financier Lou Wolfson gave King $5,000 to give to Jim Garrison, who was investigating the John F. Kennedy assassination. King allegedly spent the money. The scandal led to King losing his job at the radio station WIOD in Miami.
Timeline
1957 - After changing his last name from Zeiger to King, begins a radio career as a disc jockey at WAHR-AM in Miami.
1958-1961 - Hosts a live audience interview show at Pumpernik's Restaurant in Miami.
1965 - Is hired as a columnist for the Miami Herald to replace Walter Winchell.
December 1971- Is arrested in Miami on charges of grand larceny.
1972-1975 - Leaves Florida and becomes a freelance writer and broadcaster in Louisiana. Also does public relations work for a racetrack.
1978 - Returns to Miami and to WIOD radio. King joins the Miami News as a columnist and returns to TV as an interviewer.
January 30, 1978 - "The Larry King Show," a nationally syndicated late-night radio talk show, debuts in 28 cities. In five years it is in 118 cities.
1982 - King's first column appears in USA Today and "The Larry King Show" wins a Peabody Award.
April 1982 - Wins a News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Writer for "The Best Little Statehouse in Texas."
June 3, 1985 - Larry King Live premieres on CNN.
1988 - Establishes the Larry King Cardiac Foundation to help those in need afford treatment.
1989 - Is inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
1992 - Is inducted into Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
February 20, 1992 - Ross Perot announces his bid for in the 1992 presidential election on Larry King Live.
1992 - Larry King Live Election Coverage 1992 wins a Peabody Award.
November 9, 1993 - Vice President Al Gore and Perot appear on Larry King Live to discuss the North American Free Trade Agreement.
January 14, 1998 - Interviews death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker at the Mountain View Unit, Texas Department of Corrections.
September 1999 - Wins a News and Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Interview/Interviewer for the show with Tucker.
September 24, 2001 - His last column appears in USA Today.
April 2003 - His novel, "Moon Over Manhattan: Mystery & Mayhem," is published.
2007 - Fiftieth year in broadcasting.
July 11, 2008 - The intersection of Sunset and Cahuenga Boulevards is renamed Larry King Square. The CNN Los Angeles bureau is located there.
May 2009 - His autobiography, "My Remarkable Journey," is published.
June 29, 2010 - Announces his decision to retire from Larry King Live after 25 years.
December 16, 2010 - The final show of Larry King Live airs.
April 14, 2011 - "Larry King: Stand Up," the first in a series of one-man comedy shows, opens in Torrington, Connecticut.
September 26, 2011 - King receives a lifetime achievement award at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards in New York.
July 16, 2012 - Online series "Larry King Now" debuts on Ora TV.
October 23, 2012 - Moderates the third-party presidential debate in Chicago.