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TMZ; The Sweet Science; TVWeek

TMZ Says Michael King Has Died. Michael, With His Late Brother Roger, Ran King World, One of the Most Successful Syndication Companies in the History of TV

May 28, 2015  •  Post A Comment

Michael King has died, TMZ reports.

With his late brother, Roger, Michael ran King World, one of the most successful syndication companies in the history of television.

TMZ writes, “Sources tell us King and his wife went to France several weeks ago to visit their son and when [Michael King] returned home contracted a bad infection.  He was admitted to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood 20 days ago, where he was treated in [the] ICU for pneumonia.”

The story adds that King, 66, was eventually put on life support and after he was taken off of life support he died Wednesday afternoon, May 27, 2015.

King World, the company Michael and Roger ran, at one time syndicated “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Wheel of Fortune,’ and “Jeopardy!.” It was a company they inherited from their father, Charles, and in its early days King World was best known for syndicating “The Little Rascals.”

In 1999 Roger and Michael sold King World to CBS for $2.5 billion. Roger stayed on after the CBS purchase, but Michael did not. After CBS bought the company both “Dr. Phil” and “Rachael Ray” were launched in syndication.

The Sweet Science, a website about boxing, also announced King’s death on Wednesday. That publication wrote, “Michael King, who headed up King Sports Worldwide, a promotional outfit based in California, died on Wednesday, at age 67. A source close to King, who didn’t want to be named, said King was not ill, and characterized the passing as sudden.”

Besides running King World with his brother Roger, Michael was also into boxing and other sports. The New York Daily News said about Michael, “The New Jersey-born TV mogul had been a part-owner of the New York Yankees, New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils.”

But it was in the TV business that Michael and Roger will be best remembered for making their mark.

Roger, the older and more flamboyant of the two brothers, died in 2007 at age 63, shortly after suffering a stroke.

3 Comments

  1. I go back further with Michael King than I will enumerate here. Suffice it for me to write without hesitation that he, (along with his late brother Roger), set a good example of how to go to business.

    His energy was alive and infectious. He cared and worked hard at what he cared about.

    Had I not been so ingrained in the production of television, it would have been a rewarding and positive step to join Michael years ago at his progressive firm.

    It saddens me that he is gone.
    Peter Bright

  2. i and my sister went to school with the king brothers roger went to asbury park high school i played alot of football with him. mike went to cba after 8th grade thats why he got a better education,both brother were fun and a little crazy but good guys . sorry to see them gone losing alot of my classmates .there in gods hands now .

  3. Mike king is my boyfriend in the Harrison hospital burn in 1999

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