RIP. Larry King.

Today I feel the need to pay a personal tribute to Larry King,  the TV host, who sadly passed away on January 23rd, 2021.

I was introduced to Larry King through his show of the same name on CNN. Years ago, when we were in Jamshedpur, the cable TV (with antenna) came to our town around 1988 and ours was one of the first few homes to get a connection. My husband had already made up his mind, finally, here was an opportunity to watch all international sports events. As a family, we enjoyed the Tennis Grand Slams, the Olympics and the World Cup football games. Our daily must watch included the 9 pm news and the Australian soap opera, Neighbours. Our daughters had their personal favourites too. On returning from school, they would tune in to Jen and the hologram or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They enjoyed the Crystal Maze and Remington Steele. Over the years, they watched the music channels and other soap operas too. 

My absolute favourite was Larry King Live, telecast in the afternoon on CNN International. I looked forward to  his interviews, in his clear crisp voice, with celebrity guests, prominent politicians, film stars, rock legends, authors and international icons. Sometimes there were sensationalists too. But I can recall, effortlessly, my most favourite American guests who discussed the current crime scene in America. I heard the famous forensic scientist, Dr. Henry Lee, the investigative journalist, Dominick Dunne and the legal commentator and television lawyer Nancy Grace.

These crimes, always got my attention, and they popped up with a frightening regularity - missing persons, kidnapping, shooting and homicides. There were several high profile crime cases too. These were never reported in our news papers in India and the only way I could follow them was on Larry king Live - that of OJ Simpson, Michael Skakel, William Kennedy Smith, the Mendez Brothers and Patty Hearst.  I also remember a few family members, parents, aunts and uncles of some of the victims who came on to his Live programme to make their voices heard. 

The world of true crime lay open before me. I remember the parents of Chandra Levy, an intern, who disappeared in Washington DC in May, 2001. From his aunt, I heard the sad story of young Lee Boyd Malvo, who had been arrested in the DC Sniper attacks. The parents of Laci Peterson, who had been killed by her husband in an advanced stage of pregnancy, shared a moving account of their daughter. I came to meet John Walsh, the creator of Americas Most Wanted following the murder of his son Adam. I also learnt about Mr.Richard Hagerman, who rallied for the Amber Alert, in memory of his daughter, Amber, who was abducted and murdered. 

Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that I would one day set foot in Washington DC. Decades later, on a visit to meet my daughter, I walked through Rock Creek Park where Chandra Levy's skeletal remains were found. I happened to drive by some of the landmarks where the DC sniper attacks resulted in the death of ten people. One fine day, the Amber Alert System sounded in all our mobile phones, alerting people of a potential victim and suspected perpetrator. In my mind, places like Modesto came to be associated with true crime. And I was to learn later about more unsolved crimes, in almost every district of America. 

I've read several True Crime Best Sellers and am waiting to read My Story by Elizabeth Smart and A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard, kidnapped victims who were miraculously rescued. My first and favourite genre of reading remains True Crime. I don't know what it is about this genre, I never speak it out loud, wondering how my interest would be perceived, by my family and friends. But as the news of the passing away of Larry King was conveyed to me by my daughter, I recollected all these names effortlessly. That's my tribute to Larry King, without whom, I would never have enjoyed reading in my most precious moments.

I was greatly touched by his comfortable and easy style of questioning which put his guests at ease. In spite of it being his programme, it was never about him. Reed thin and dressed in his signature suspenders, Larry King's style was absolutely admirable, he always allowed his guests to tell their stories. To me, he was the quintessential American, a high school dropout who made it big in the land of opportunities. One who married eight times and who fathered children in his sixties! Larry King, who worked till his very last breath. God in heaven finally decided he could use some of his charm! 

Larry King, from an admirer, Rest in Peace.