Michael Parkinson, Legendary British Talk Show Host, Dies at 88

British talk show host legend Michael Parkinson has died at age 88, the BBC said Thursday. He interviewed some of the world’s biggest stars, including Muhammad Ali, Elton John, Madonna and Helen Mirren, on his long-running chat show.

Parkinson famously also graced the cover of the 1973 Paul McCartney and Wings album Band on the Run, along with the band and such other celebrities as actors James Coburn and Christopher Lee.

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“After a brief illness, Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family,” the BBC said. “The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve.”

The Guardian once called Parkinson “the great British talkshow host”

The first Parkinson show launched on BBC television in 1971 with American jazz singer Marion Montgomery as his first guest to begin an 11-year run. He and his show returned to the U.K. public broadcaster in 1998 through 2007. The host once estimated that he had interviewed more than 2,000 guests.

“Michael was the king of the chat show, and he defined the format for all the presenters and shows that followed,” BBC director general Tim Davie said. “He interviewed the biggest stars of the 20th century and did so in a way that enthralled the public.

“Michael was not only brilliant at asking questions, he was also a wonderful listener. Michael was truly one of a kind, an incredible broadcaster and journalist who will be hugely missed.”

In 2013, Parkinson told the public that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he received the doctors’ all-clear in relation to the disease in 2015.

Parkinson was born in 1935 in Cudworth, South Yorkshire, in England. After two years in the British Army, he became a journalist, first for The Manchester Guardian and then for the Daily Express in London. He moved into television as a current affairs host and reporter for Granada and the BBC before being made a talk show host.

Parkinson was also known for his love of cricket. Last year, he made a rare public appearance at Wimbledon with his wife, Mary.

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