Culture

Remembering Sir David Frost

Renowned interviewer and journalist Sir David Frost, 74, known primarily for his amazing interview with Richard Nixon after the former President's resignation, died Saturday night while aboard a cruise ship. 

By Connor Simpson
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Renowned interviewer and journalist Sir David Frost, 74, known primarily for his amazing interview with Richard Nixon after the former President's resignation, died Saturday night while aboard a cruise ship.

Frost had a long career in broadcasting, with his own shows broadcast on BBC and Al Jazeera during his long and illustrious career in journalism. He passed away Saturday on the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was scheduled to give a speech. Frost's family released this statement to the BBC Sunday morning:

"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."

Since the mid-1960s, Frost interviewed every British and U.S. leader:

So, fittingly, current British prime minister David Cameron shared his condolences on Twitter:

Frost will always first be remembered for his serious work with world leaders like Nixon, or celebrities like the Beatles, as displayed in this gallery compiled by the Guardian. But, as The New York Times' Brian Stelter explains, he also had a huge influence on the modern American satirical side of the news on television:

In 1962, Mr. Frost became the host of “That Was the Week That Was,” a satirical look at the news on Saturday nights. While it lasted for only two seasons in Britain, “TW3,” as it was known, was reborn briefly as a program on NBC in the United States, and it is remembered as a forerunner to “The Daily Show” and the “Weekend Update” segment on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” After “TW3,” Mr. Frost hosted a succession of programs in Britain, from game shows to intellectually rigorous talk shows.

After the news of his death spread across social media, people began sharing some their favorite moments from Frost's interviewing career. The only place to start, of course, is with his blockbuster post-resignation interview with Nixon that was eventually turned into a 2008 Oscar contender:

Others preferred this bonkers 1969 interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono from The David Frost Show that begins with the two men throwing acorns to the crowd:

Many people shared this 1985 clip of Frost butting heads with Margaret Thatcher.

But let's close with this Rolling Stones performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want," on The David Frost Show, because the best ones never get to live forever:

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.