According to reports on ABC News, 87-year old broadcasting legend Larry King, was hospitalized with Covid-19 in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, but has since been moved out of intensive care and is no longer using supplemental oxygen. King was placed in ICU on New Year’s Eve and was receiving supplemental oxygen, but has since recovered well enough to be able to breathe on his own, and share a video call with his three sons, according to a spokesperson for his production company, Ora Media. Health protocols mean that King has not been able to be with his wife of 23 years, Shawn King, or his sons, while he recovers from Covid-19.
Larry King is understood to have been in ICU for more than 10 days. He caught Covid-19 from a health worker who was visiting his home, and one of his sons also tested positive. Given his age and frail health, King is at higher risk of complications from Covid-19, so it is very good news that his condition has improved. In May 2019, King suffered a near-fatal stroke in May 2019, barely weeks after undergoing heart surgery to place a stent in his heart. He had already suffered a heart attack in 1987, and had battled both prostate and lung cancer. The last year was particularly difficult for him, losing his son, ANdy, to a heart attack at the age of 65, and then his daughter, Chaia, to lung cancer at the age of 51, just 23 days later.
King is stoic about the idea of dying, having lost some of the fear of death after facing off so many health scares. He has often joked that he will retire when he dies at work.
King is widely celebrated for his career which began on the radio show, The Larry King Show, which he ran from 1978 to 1994, hosting Larry King Live on CNN from 1985 to 2010. In his distinguished career, King won the Peabody Award and was recognized as one of the leading interviewers in the world, of presidents, celebrities and other newsmakers. His career spanned half a century, including 25 years at CNN.
Many people grew up with Larry King and his interviews were characterized by interesting, entertaining, informative discussions, that spanned many topics. Discussions were always meaningful, and his guests were carefully chosen so that they would have something to contribute to his audience.
California has struggled to contain the spread of Covid-19. The case total is just over 2.45 million, with around 27,000 deaths. California is the third state to have over 25,000 deaths from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. New York has had about 38,000 deaths and Texas more than 27,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. King’s case highlights the importance of providing quality home care services for the elderly. The elderly have weaker immune systems than everyone else and more prone to diseases such as lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease or diabetes, which harm the body’s ability to fend off infectious disease. Consequently, it is important to ensure that they have the very best to protect their health and safety.
