Veteran journalist David Frost dies aged 74

Monday, September 2, 2013

The British broadcaster and journalist Sir David Frost has died of a heart attack, aged 74.

Best known for an interview with former President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal, Frost died on Saturday night aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was due to give a speech. "His family are devastated, and ask for privacy at this difficult time," said a statement released from Frost's family.

Frost got his start in the early 1960s presenting on satirical BBC show That Was The Week That Was. With a career spanning five decades, Frost would go on to interview an extensive list of the famous and powerful - including virtually every British Prime Minister and US President of his time, as well as royalty, celebrities and leaders including Mikhail Gorbachev and The Beatles. Highly versatile, Frost would prove confident at both serious political journalism as well as light entertainment and comedy, hosting sketch show The Frost Report in the mid-60s.

Frost famously interviewed former US President Richard Nixon in 1977, during which Nixon apologized for the Watergate scandal—where Nixon had bugged the offices of political opponents. The face-off would be turned into multi-Oscar nominated film Frost/Nixon in 2008, with Frost played by Michael Sheen.

Frost wrote 17 books, produced eight films and started the British television networks London Weekend Television and TV-am. He became Sir David after being knighted in 1993, and won numerous awards for his work throughout his time.

Frost is survived by his wife Carina and their three sons.

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Sources

Sylvia Hui. David Frost Dead: Legendary Broadcaster Dies At 74 <broken link> [archived version] — Huffington Post, September 1, 2013
"David Frost dies of heart attack at the age of 74" — ABC News (Australia), September 1, 2013

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