When broadcasting legend Larry King died on January 24th at the age of 87, hundreds of fans and friends alike took to Twitter to share messages of condolences and tributes to the star.
Fellow TV presenter Piers Morgan’s tribute to King, however, caught a lot of attention for being in what many fans saw as poor taste so shortly after King’s death.
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It was announced on January 23rd that longtime radio and television presenter Larry King had passed away.
“With profound sadness, Ora Media announces the death of our co-founder, host, and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at age 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” the statement from King’s official Twitter account read.
The statement continued.
“For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster.”
The statement emphasized King’s selflessness and interest in others.
“Additionally, while it was his name appearing in the shows’ titles, Larry always viewed his interview subjects as the true stars of his programs, and himself as merely an unbiased conduit between the guest and audience.”
The statement concluded: “Ora Media sends our condolences to his surviving children Larry Jr., Chance, Cannon and the entire King family.”
Many celebrities took to Twitter and other social media to share their condolences and personal experiences with the broadcasting star and emphasize his influence on the entertainment industry.
One celebrity, however, took a slightly different approach to his tribute to King.
Piers Morgan, a controversial TV presenter from England, initially shared a simple message after the news broke of Larry King’s passing.
“RIP Larry King, 87,” Piers tweeted. “A television legend.”
However, Piers chose to follow up that tweet with a more personal anecdote about his experiences with King that many found to be disrespectful, especially given how recently King had passed.
Piers explained that he and King had a history.
“Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was ‘like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.’ (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert) But he was a brilliant broadcaster & masterful TV interviewer,” he wrote in a follow up tweet.
Fans immediately began to call Piers out for what many viewed as a disrespectful tweet that centered Piers over King himself.
“Man, have some more respect when someone dies, not everything is about you,” tweeted one fan.
“Does it bother you to think because of moments like this, what people will say about you when your time comes? Think about it and do better please. Jesus,” tweeted another.
Some fans found a bit of humor in the situation.
“Piers Morgan claims he meant this as a light-hearted tribute, and you know what, I do feel fonder about Larry King after reading about him insulting Piers Morgan to his face so mission accomplished, Piers Morgan,” one fan joked .
Others compared the quality of the two men’s shows.
“The fact that you had to wait till Larry king passed, to post this drivel speaks volumes of your character. You’ll NEVER pull his numbers…” one fan shared .
“Well Larry King Live lasted 25 years, until he retired. Piers Morgan Live lasted 3 years, until it was cancelled,” another wrote .
Some fans defended Piers’ tweet.
Some fans expressed that they would rather read Piers’ honest feelings than him simply pretending that there was never any conflict between the two stars, however others felt that this could have been accomplished in a more respectful way.
Some even pointed out that King’s comment about a mother-in-law driving off a cliff was not the insult Piers seemed to think it was.
Some fans pointed out that the expression refers to having mixed emotions over a situation.
What do you think of Piers’ tweet? Do you think it was disrespectful to King’s legacy? Let us know how you feel in the comments below!
