Trivia

Never prepared for interviews. His reasoning was that the average audience member knew little or nothing about a given show guest, so he preferred to begin as they would begin, and learn about the guest during the course of the show.

Adopted the name "Larry King" professionally on the advice that his original surname, Zeiger, sounded "too Jewish".

Was a three-pack-a-day smoker for 30 years until his heart attack (February 1987). King underwent quintuple-bypass surgery after which he quit smoking completely.

Had seven hobbies: listening to the radio, golfing, collecting suspenders (of course), reading, watching movies, theater and dancing.

Underwent surgery on March 16, 2007 to unblock a carotid artery at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California.

Son-in-law of Karl Engemann and Jerri Engemann. Brother-in-law of Shannon Engemann. Stepfather of Danny Southwick Jr. (born 1981). King and Shawn Ora Engemann filed for divorce on April 14, 2010. They reconciled in July the same year and both filed petitions to dismiss their divorce. On March 9, 1999, their son, Chance Armstrong King was born. On May 22, 2000, their second son, Cannon Edward King was born.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6616 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on May 8, 1997. He also celebrated 40 years of broadcasting.

Features in the paperback "Mug Shots" (1996) that includes many other celebrities who have been arrested for one reason or another.

His favorite quote was actually a put-down: "Before they made you they broke the mold.".

He was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame (1989), and the Broadcasting Hall of Fame of the National Association of Broadcasters (1996).

The King-Southwick Mormon-Jewish wedding ceremony was celebrated in the Beverly Hills garden of actress Deborah Raffin. Stellar wedding guests included Ted Turner (Best Man), Jane Fonda, Al Pacino, Beverly D'Angelo, Don Rickles, etc.

Father of Larry King Jr., with Annette Kaye. Father of daughter Chaia King (b. 1969), with Alene Akins; adopted her son Andy King from a previous marriage in 1962.

Was named as "King of Brooklyn" at the Welcome Back to Brooklyn Festival (1995).

Father Aaron Zeiger passed away when Larry was 10 years old.

Dated Angie Dickinson for a few years in the 1980s.

Chaired the Larry King Cardiac Foundation which awards grants to individuals suffering from heart disease to help pay for medical treatment.

Was engaged to Deanna Lund in 1995.

Referenced in 'Weird Al' Yankovic's song "Couch Potato" (about a person who spends eternity watching television), a parody of Eminem's song "Lose Yourself".

Engaged to minister Rama Fox (1992-1995).

In June 1997, he underwent angioplasty to repair a blocked vein.

Mentioned in the Mojo Nixon song "619-239-KING".

Attended Brooklyn's Lafayette High School.

He acquired the name Larry King when the general manager claimed that Zeiger was too difficult to remember, so minutes before airtime, Larry chose the surname King, which he got from an advertisement in the Miami Herald for King's Wholesale Liquor.

Went on one date with Katie Couric in the 1980s. They did not consummate this.

Didn't consume eggs.

Younger brother, Martin "Hoppy" Zeiger, passed away at age 80 on August 8, 2007.

Before he was a successful talk show host, he was a CBS announcer working at WAHR (now WMBM) in Miami Beach, Florida.

His parents were Jewish emigrants. His father was born in Kolomyya, Ukraine. His mother was born in Vilna, Lithuania.

Underwent surgery for lung cancer in April 2017.

He was friends with the late Della Reese, and despite being a couple years younger than her, he used to listen to her music, when he was already grown up.

Passed away one day after baseball legend Hank Aaron, whom he interviewed a few times. In late 2021, a blogger pointed out that at least 50 'figures' King had interviewed on CNN had also passed away in the same year as him.

He was one of the many television personalities to pay tribute to fellow talk show hosts and television personalities Regis Philbin and Joan Rivers, after their own deaths.

Passed away exactly 16 years to the day, after fellow television host/personality Johnny Carson.

At the time of his death he was in the process of divorcing Shawn Ora Engemann but died before the divorce was finalized, making her nominally his widow.