(LONDON) Briton Michael Parkinson, star in his country for his talk shows in which he interviewed the biggest celebrities for decades, died at the age of 88, announced Thursday his family.

Michael Parkinson was dubbed “the king” of the talk show. He died “peacefully” on Wednesday evening after a brief illness, his family told the BBC.

‘Parky’, as he was often called, was a familiar face on British television, with his intimate celebrity interviews, notably on his BBC show ‘Parkinson’, which first aired in June 1971. Success was immediate. The show was revived in 1998, immediately becoming very popular again.

He said he interviewed 2,000 celebrities throughout his career.

His interview with boxer Mohamed Ali is remembered. He is “the most remarkable human being I have ever met,” said Michael Parkinson.

He also received actors Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Orson Welles, Fred Astaire and members of the royal family, such as Princess Anne. In the 2000s, he also interviewed footballer David Beckham, actress Judy Dench.

He grew up in a mining village in the north of England. When he was a teenager, his father, a miner, took him to the bottom of the mine to dissuade him from working there. Michael Parkinson started his career as a journalist in the print media.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2008.

As soon as his death was announced, tributes multiplied in the United Kingdom. BBC Director General Tim Davie hailed an “incredible presenter and journalist” who “set the format for all the presenters and shows that followed”.