Larry King Cause Of Death Revealed; Legendary TV Host Didn’t Die Of COVID-19

Larry King didn't die of COVID-19 despite contracting and being treated for the virus before he passed away at the age of 87 on Jan. 23.

The "Larry King Now" host had a number of underlying conditions, but according to his death certificate obtained by People, his immediate cause of death was sepsis.

The legendary TV host had two underlying conditions that led to sepsis, including hypoxic respiratory failure — when he didn't have enough oxygen in his blood — and end stage renal disease, also known as kidney failure.

King was hospitalized at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles in December after he tested positive for COVID-19. A source close to the family opened up about his condition early January and said he had been in the hospital for over a week already.

The award-winning broadcaster suffered serious health issues when he was still alive. Before he was set to undergo angioplasty in 2019, he experienced angina, a type of chest pain, and had to be admitted to the hospital early.

"It's been a rough year," King told People in February 2020 about his health issues. "I don’t have any idea of what 2020 is going to be like. But I can still work and I can watch my kids grow up. I feel positive — and hopeful."

He also suffered a major heart attack in 1987 and had quintuple-bypass surgery. In his 2004 book "Taking on Heart Disease," he detailed his heart attack experience and said it was very different from what was portrayed on TV shows and movies.

"They don’t accurately portray what happens in the real world," King wrote in an extract obtained by Today. "Instead, most true-life heart attacks are a lot more low-key."

"But I’ll tell you this: While not as dramatic as what Hollywood produces, the low-key ones get your attention pretty damn fast when they happen to you," he added. "And like the drama on the screen, everyone figures a heart attack — or any type of heart problem, for that matter — always happens to someone else. I never thought about it any more than that, which presumes that I even thought about it at all."

King left his estate to his children: Larry Jr., Chance and Cannon. In a handwritten will dated Oct. 17, 2019, he named all five of his children as beneficiaries, but Andy and Chaia passed away last year.