Larry King Celebrates 50 Years in Broadcasting and 20th Anniversary of Heart Attack Survival

WASHINGTON - In 2007, Larry King will celebrate two milestones close to his heart: 50 years in the broadcast industry and 20 years of life after a major heart attack. The broadcast legend will celebrate his achievements on Saturday, June 9, at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC, during the annual “An Evening with Larry King and Friends” fundraising dinner. The dinner and awards ceremony raises funds for The Larry King Cardiac Foundation (LKCF) and honors leaders in philanthropy and cardiac care.

The 20th anniversary of Larry’s heart attack also marks a milestone for his foundation. Larry founded The Larry King Cardiac Foundation (LKCF) in 1988, one year after he suffered a heart attack and recovered from quintuple bypass surgery. He attributes that heart attack to his damaging lifestyle of cigarette smoking, poor diet and little exercise. Larry recognized that he was fortunate enough to have medical insurance to cover his cardiac surgery. He formed LKCF to provide funding for individuals with limited means and no insurance who would otherwise be unable to receive life-saving cardiac treatment. The Foundation’s current mission is to ’Save a Heart a Day’.

“There isn’t a Hallmark card you can buy for anyone to celebrate 20 years after their heart attack,” Larry said. “Lucky for me, I’ve had the most productive years of my life after my bypass surgery. I went back to work, cleaned up my lifestyle, and decided I needed to help others receive the same level of cardiac treatment I received that saved my life.”

Larry’s golden 50th anniversary celebrates an unprecedented career in the broadcasting industry. Officially going On Air in May 1957, on Miami’s WAHR, his first celebrity interview was teen heartthrob crooner Bobby Darin. “Larry King Live” premiered on CNN in June 1985 and is now the network’s longest running program and highest rated interview program. Larry has interviewed more than 40,000 of the most influential and interesting people of his time in politics, entertainment and culture. Notable guests include: Tony Blair, Marlon Brando, George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Carter and Roslyn Carter, Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Bette Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., Gerald Ford and Betty Ford, Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Oprah Winfrey and Malcolm X.

Larry has been inducted into five of the nation’s leading broadcasting halls of fame, has a star on the Walk of Fame, is the recipient of the prestigious Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism and was named 1993’s “Talk Show Host of the Year” by the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts. Both his radio and television shows have won the Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.