Sir Michael Parkinson died aged 88 (Picture: John Lawrence/REX/Shutterstock)
Sir Michael Parkinson’s cause of death has been revealed following his death aged 88.
The legendary broadcaster died from a short illness, which came eight years after he was given the all-clear after prostate cancer.
The cause on his death certificate, seen by the Mirror, is ‘frailty of old age’.
A statement from his family to the BBC read: ‘After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.
The message, released on August 16, continued: ‘The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve,’ as tributes were made by high-profile figures including Sir David Attenborough and Sir Elton John.
Throughout his illustrious career, Sir Michael interviewed some of the most famous people in the world, including Ingrid Bergmann, Fred Astair, Lauren Bacall, Sir Elton John, Muhammad Ali and Meg Ryan, to name a few.
He fronted his own BBC chat show Parkinson from 1971 to 1982 and then from 1998 to 2007, with the programme switching to ITV for its final three years.
In 2013, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was undergoing radiotherapy.
Speaking about his diagnosis at the time, he told PA: ‘It was a great shock, but I have been told to expect to make a full recovery.’
Sir Michael filmed hundreds of episodes of his talk show, and retired from his Sunday morning Radio 2 programme in 2007, the same year that the TV series came to an end.
Broadcaster Sir David Attenborough also paid tribute to Sir Michael and praised him for always being ‘generous in the way he framed his questions.’
Sir David added that Sir Michael ‘would always laugh at your jokes and give you an opportunity to make them sound funnier than in fact they were’.
Singer Sir Elton John posted a throwback picture of him alongside Sir Michael on Instagram.
‘Michael Parkinson was a TV legend who was one of the greats,’ he wrote.
‘I loved his company and his incredible knowledge of cricket and Barnsley Football Club. A real icon who brought out the very best in his guests. Condolences and love to Mary and his family.’
Sir Michael Caine also paid tribute to the broadcasting legend, calling him ‘irreplaceable’.
The 90-year-old actor wrote on Twitter, now known as X: “He was charming, always wanted to have a good laugh. He brought the best of everyone he met. Always looked forward to be interviewed by him.”
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Sir Michael Parkinson died aged 88.
