Sir Michael Parkinson has died aged 88

The broadcaster's family confirmed the news in a statement

Parkinson's family confirmed the news, saying in a statement: "After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.

"The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve."

The presenter, who was made a CBE in 2000 and was knighted in 2008, revealed he was receiving radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer in 2013, and said he got the all-clear from doctors two years later.

The BBC's Nick Robinson called Parkinson "the greatest interviewer of our age" and dubbed him the "king of the chat show."

BBC Director-General, Tim Davie echoed Robinson's comments, and added that Parkinson had "defined the format for all the presenters and shows that followed."

He added: "Michel was truly one of a kind, an incredible broadcaster and journalist who will be hugely missed."

In a career spanning seven decades, Parkinson interviewed some of the biggest stars in the world, including Muhammad Ali, Sir Elton John and Madonna.

He introduced the first Parkinson show in 1971 on BBC television - with US jazz singer Marion Montgomery his first guest - and it ran for 11 years, spanning hundreds of episodes. He later returned to the broadcaster in 1998 for another run of the show.

Parkinson was born in 1935 in the South Yorkshire village of Cudworth. His first job was collating sports results for a local newspaper.

He was in the British army for two years then worked as a journalist for the Manchester Guardian (later renamed the Guardian) before joining the Daily Express in London.

He moved into television as a current affairs presenter and reporter for both Granada and the BBC before he was recruited to present his self-titled show on BBC One.

Parkinson also hosted a Sky Arts series called Michael Parkinson: Masterclass from 2012 to 2014.

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