Angela Rippon has said that “the most outstanding interviewer of his generation” Sir Michael Parkinson has left a “treasure trove of conversations”.
Sir Michael’s family said in a statement that he died peacefully on Wednesday at home surrounded by loved ones.
His former TV-am colleague, Rippon, has spoken of waking up while in New York to the “sad news” of the chat show host’s death at the age of 88.
The 78-year-old journalist wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “He was a pal, a colleague, and the most outstanding interviewer of his generation.
“He listened to what his guests said. Had a conversation with them rather than mechanically going through a list of questions or haranguing them.
“As a result he has left a treasure trove of conversations with some of the greatest names of the 20th century.”
BBC Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen, who presented BBC One’s Good Morning With Anne And Nick, recalled Sir Michael’s days on TV-am.
Owen, 75, wrote: “RIP Sir Michael Parkinson. A hero from my younger days in journalism to a colleague and friend.
“We even shared an office for a time at TV-am. A broadcasting giant and great man. Such a terribly sad day. Thoughts with Mary and the family.”
Sir Michael had a short-lived term at TV-am as part of the original presenting line-up alongside the likes of David Frost, and appeared on the shows Give Us A Clue, one-off drama Ghostwatch and Going For A Song.
As well as his television career, with his own show, Parkinson, he was a respected radio broadcaster, having hosted Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4.
Former Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young has said that Sir Michael “defined the golden era of the TV chat show”.
In a statement to the PA news agency, she also said: “Whether it was Muhammad Ali, WH Auden or Billy Connolly sitting opposite, his journalistic sensibility was underpinned by an instinct to entertain.
“Informed, affable, agile and quietly charismatic, he existed in an era when the combination of real conversation with proper superstars made for fascinating viewing.”
Mike Carlton, who said he worked with Sir Michael when he was at LBC in London, recalled in a tweet that the chat show host was “genial, enormous fun to be with, a miner’s son” who “hated snobbery and pretence”.
The Australian broadcaster added: “And had a large corner of his heart for Australia. There was no one quite like him.”
