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Mourners wore braces in tribute to Larry King

Larry King
Larry King

Mourners at the funeral of Larry King wore braces in tribute to the late talk show veteran, his widow said.

King, who interviewed a who's who of A-list stars during a glittering career, died on Saturday at the age of 87.

Former US president Bill Clinton, who was interviewed by King more than 20 times, was among those who paid tribute, describing him as having a "great sense of humour and a genuine interest in people".

King's widow, Shawn King, revealed that his funeral has taken place and mourners, including the couple's two sons, wore braces, known in the US as suspenders, which the host was famous for wearing on screen.

She told Entertainment Tonight: "We all, it was just family, we wore Larry's suspenders, every one of us. And it was beautiful, loving, just perfect, just perfect. It was family. There was no showbiz, no, none of that."

The 61-year-old added: "We laid him to rest this morning. And in the Jewish faith, they do it very quickly, so you almost don't have time to, for me, to process. I'm still processing. As are the boys."

She revealed her last words to her husband were "I love you" and in their final conversation he told her to "take care of the boys" - Chance, 21, and 20-year-old Cannon.

King did not die of Covid-19, said his widow, who married the star in 1997, and revealed he "beat" the virus before his death was caused by other health issues.

King's had suffered from a number of health problems including battles with both lung and prostate cancer.

He also survived a heart attack in 1987 and a near-fatal stroke in 2019, that had left him in a coma for weeks.

King presented Larry King Live on US TV network CNN for 25 years. He signed off his final show, saying: "I don't know what to say except to you, my audience, thank you. And instead of goodbye, how about so long."

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