Michael Parkinson, an iconic broadcaster widely considered to be Britain’s talk show king, has died at age 88.

In a statement on Thursday, his family said that Parkinson died “peacefully at home last night” following a brief illness.

In a television career spanning seven decades, Parkinson interviewed countless celebrities such as Sir Elton John, Sir Michael Caine, Muhammed Ali, David Bowie and John Lennon.

His talk show, which was simply called “Parkinson,” first aired on the BBC in June of 1971 and enjoyed a very successful run until 1982. Then, in 1998, the show was revived on the BBC, proving to be an instant hit.

The show then switched to commercial rival ITV in 2004,  running until 2007.

Parkinson, who was commonly known as Parky, was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2008.