Famed Nixon Interviewer David Frost Dead at 74

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By Anita Li2013-09-01 17:31:49 UTC

David Frost, the famed British broadcaster best known for conducting a series of interviews with former U.S. president Richard Nixon, is dead at 74.

Frost died following a heart attack on board the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was giving a speech, according to multiple reports. The veteran journalist's death was confirmed by Al Jazeera, where he hosted an interview show called Frost Over the World .

"His family are devastated and ask for privacy at this difficult time. A family funeral will be held in the near future and details of a memorial service will be announced in due course," according to a statement provided to the BBC.

Frost was internationally recognized for his interviews with Nixon in 1977 — known as "The Nixon Interviews" — during which the disgraced former U.S. president apologized for his involvement in the Watergate Scandal. Nixon resigned from office in 1974.

The interviews were later dramatized in the 2006 play Frost/Nixon, and in a 2008 Oscar-nominated film of the same name.

Twitter users, including high-profile accounts, mourned Frost's death. His name trended on the microblogging network in the U.S. early Sunday afternoon.

Others posted interviews that Frost had done over his television career, which spanned more than 50 years.

Image: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Topics: broadcaster, death, Film, Journalist, obituary, Television, US & World, World