Sir Michael Parkinson has died at the age of 88.
A statement from his family to the BBC read: ‘After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.
‘The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve.’
Throughout his illustrious career, Sir Michael interviewed some of the most famous people in the world, including Ingrid Bergmann, Fred Astair, Lauren Bacall, Sir Elton John and Muhammad Ali, to name a few.
He fronted his own BBC chat show Parkinson from 1971 to 1982 and then from 1998 to 2007, with the programme switching to ITV for its final three years.
In 2013, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was undergoing radiotherapy.
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Speaking about his diagnosis at the time, he told PA: ‘It was a great shock, but I have been told to expect to make a full recovery.’
Sir Michael filmed hundreds of episodes of his talk show, and retired from his Sunday morning Radio 2 programme in 2007, the same year that the TV series came to an end.
Born on March 28 1935 in the village of Cudworth, Sir Michael attended Barnsley Grammar School before embarking on his career as a journalist, working for publications including the Manchester Guardian and the Daily Express.
His first TV job was as a producer at Granada, before he made a move to Thames TV ahead of the launch of his titular show.
During the final episode of Parkinson in 2007, the host welcomed guests including David Beckham, Sir Michael Caine, Sir David Attenborough, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Edna Everage, Sir Billy Connolly, Peter Kay and Jamie Callum.
Speaking on his final episode, Sir Michael said: ‘Over the years it has been a privilege to meet some of the most intelligent and interesting people. It has always been a great joy and I shall miss it.’
The broadcaster received his knighthood by the late Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace the following year.
He admitted that he ‘never expected to be knighted’, quipping at the time: ‘I never expected to be knighted – I thought there was more chance of me turning into a Martian really.’
Sir Michael married his wife Mary Heneghan in 1959 and the couple had three children together.
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