The family of chat show legend Sir Michael Parkinson were in tears in the audience at what transpired to be his final public appearance, just 10 weeks ago.
The ‘king of the chat show,’ who was fondly called ‘Parky’ by friends and fans, passed away surrounded by his wife Lady Mary and their children at his Berkshire home on August 16.
Speaking in May, Parky admitted he was ‘out of puff’ when he took to the stage at the Hay Festival in Wales to delve into the archives of his legendary TV show.
Family members were at the back of the venue and were seen hugging each other and wiping away tears as he took his final bow before signing books for fans.
He told the audience: ‘I’m a bit puffed, I’ve had an illness that’s left me breathless so forgive me if I sound like I’ve just run a four-minute mile.’
The family of chat show legend Sir Michael Parkinson were in tears in the audience at what transpired to be his final public appearance, just 10 weeks ago
The Mail Online was there to see the veteran interviewer pay tribute to his sporting heroes – Mohammed Ali, George Best, Freddie Trueman and Shane Warne.
Sue Newlands, 66, who was in the audience said: ‘It felt like a last farewell, it was very moving.
‘He faded as the interview went on and towards the end he became a little bit difficult to understand.
‘But he was given a standing ovation and that doesn’t happen very often at Hay.
‘I think a lot of people had the impression he didn’t have long to go.’
Mrs Newlands shook hands with Parkinson at a signing of his book My Sporting Life after his Hay appearance on May 28.
The veteran chat show host, wearing a pair of black Nike trainers, charmed the sold-out 1800 capacity venue as he recalled the highlights of his iconic TV show.
Parkinson said: ‘I’ve been so lucky to meet all of my heroes and some extraordinary people. We didn’t miss many.’
RIP: The ‘king of the chat show,’ who was fondly called ‘Parky’ by friends and fans, passed away surrounded by his wife Lady Mary and their children at his Berkshire home on August 16
Final appearance: Speaking in May, Parky admitted he was ‘out of puff’ when he took to the stage at the Hay Festival in Wales to delve into the archives of his legendary TV show
Emotional: Family members were at the back of the venue and were seen hugging each other and wiping away tears as he took his final bow before signing books for fans
Speaking of Ali he added: ‘He was beautiful, 6ft 4in, slender and perfectly proportioned – he was not a bad talker either.’
Parkinson, who was famously bullied on stage by the World Champion heavyweight boxer, said Ali was a ‘puzzle’ and he never got to know him well.
But Parkinson became good friends with George Best who he said was the best footballer ever to play the game before losing his battle with alcohol.
He explained: ‘It was never going to end in anything other than tears.’
Parkinson also paid tribute to Barry Humphries who he interviewed as Dame Edna Everage of Sir Les Patterson a total of 14 times describing him as ‘incomparable’.
The only star he interviewed more was Sir Billy Connolly who was a guest 19 times over the two runs of the legendary chat show.
An audience of 1800 gave Parkinson a standing ovation at the end of the emotional interview with his son Mike Parkinson.
Stars including Sir David Attenborough and Sir Elton John today paid an emotional tribute to Sir Michael after his death at the age of 88 on Thursday.
Paying tribute, Sir David Attenborough, 97, said being interviewed by him ‘was like meeting a friend’ – and admitted his Yorkshire timbre was ‘very refreshing’ at a time when southern, upper class accents were common on the BBC.
He said: ‘He was extremely generous, he wanted you to shine and would always laugh at your jokes and give you an opportunity to make them sound funnier than in fact they were. It was always friendly, it was always thorough, it was always intelligent, it was always a pleasure to do it and I think that came over no matter who his interviewee was’.
Sir Elton John said he ‘loved’ spending time with Parky. ‘Michael Parkinson was a TV legend who was one of the greats. 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’, he said. Sir Michael Caine has hailed him as ‘irreplaceable’, adding: ‘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.’
BBC broadcaster Nick Robinson said on Twitter: ‘He was the greatest interviewer of our age who owned Saturday night TV for year after year. Michael Parkinson – king of the chat show’.
The down-to-earth Yorkshireman, the son of a coal miner, became one of the most famous names in Britain after his seminal interviews with Muhammad Ali, John Lennon, Billy Connolly, Orson Welles and most of the world’s biggest stars in an extraordinary TV career spanning five decades.
There were also wildly comical – and uncomfortable interviews – including being attacked while speaking to Rod Hull and Emu as well as a prickly Meg Ryan in 20 years of more than 2,000 BBC interviews beamed into up to 17million homes on a Saturday night.
The Mail Online was there to see the veteran interviewer pay tribute to his sporting heroes – Mohammed Ali (pictured together in 1974) , George Best, Freddie Trueman and Shane Warne
Parkinson was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to television in 2008
He said his greatest regret was never being able to interview Frank Sinatra – and recently revealed that Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, was his most formidable interviewee.
Parky presented his programme Parkinson from 1971 to 1982 and again from 1998 to 2004 on the BBC. He then switched to ITV where his chat show ran from 2004 to 2007. He was last seen in public in April. The cricket-mad journalist was frail as he celebrated his friend Dickie Bird’s 90th birthday bash at Headingley, Leeds. His last TV appearance was last November.
A statement from Sir Michael’s family said: ‘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.’
He is survived by his wife Lady Mary Parkinson and they lived together in Bray, Berkshire. They had three children, Michael Jr, Nicholas and Andrew. Sir Michael, a coal miner’s son from Barnsley, and Lady Mary, from nearby Doncaster, met as young journalists and enjoyed a 64-year marriage.
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