Michael King, Man Behind Oprah and Dr. Phil's Shows, Dies at 66
The king of daytime talk has passed away.
Michael King, the man who helped launch Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray's shows, died Wednesday in Los Angeles at age 66, ET confirms. He passed away with his family by his side.
TMZ is reporting that King had been at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood for three weeks in the facility's intensive care unit and was taken off life support yesterday after being admitted with pneumonia.
Brothers Michael and Roger King inherited King World Productions from their father, Charles King, and went on to bring The Oprah Winfrey Show to syndication in the 1980s. King World Productions also teamed up with Harpo Productions to make Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray successful daytime TV hosts.
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The King brothers also obtained the rights to the wildly popular game showsJeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.
King World was acquired by CBS in 2000.
In addition to all his TV endeavors, King was also a sports fan. The New Jersey native had been part-owner of the New York Yankees, New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils.
King leaves behind his wife Jena and his children, Teddy, 18, Jesse, 4, and Ali, 17.
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