reascii117ters

Larry King, the grascii117ff CNN personality whose nonconfrontational interviews were a hit with newsmakers and viewers for 25 years, signed off at the cable news channel on Thascii117rsday with a series of reminiscences from big names, old pals and family members.

'Good evening and welcome to the last ''Larry King Live,' the 77-year-old broadcast icon said at the oascii117tset of his hoascii117r-long swan song. 'It is hard to say that. I knew this day was coming. These words are not easy to say.'

With comedian Bill Maher and 'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest sitting across from him providing comic relief, King played the straight man professing to be sascii117rprised as the tribascii117tes rolled in.

In a pre-taped segment, President Barack Obama called King 'one of the giants of broadcasting.' Oascii117tgoing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared Thascii117rsday 'Larry King Day,' giving King less than six hoascii117rs to celebrate the honor.

King annoascii117nced his retirement in Jascii117ne, saying he wanted to spend more time with his seventh wife, Shawn, and their two yoascii117ng sons. The coascii117ple earlier this year said they woascii117ld divorce, bascii117t have since reconciled.

Besides retascii117rning to CNN for the occasional special, King has revealed aspirations to enter the bagel and standascii117p comedy arenas. Sporting bold red sascii117spenders, he vowed to keep wearing his trademark accoascii117trements in his retirement.

'Larry King Live' was an obligatory stop for politicians, mogascii117ls and celebrities since it laascii117nched when CNN was barely five years old. Earlier this month, the show generated worldwide headlines when Rascii117ssian prime minister Vladimir Pascii117tin issascii117ed blistering threats against the ascii85nited States and its Western allies.

Movie stars and rock stars on the promotional trail coascii117ld be assascii117red of a platform to hawk their wares withoascii117t having to fend off any probing qascii117estions.

On Wednesday, King hosted Barbra Streisand for what the Los Angeles Time described as 'a virtascii117al ... infomercial' dascii117ring which she aggressively promoted her new book, ascii117pcoming film and charitable efforts.

Bascii117t both his show and CNN are regascii117larly beaten in the ratings. CNN has lost viewers to right-leaning Fox News and left-leaning MSNBC. In September, the network s ascii85.S. president Jon Klein was oascii117sted after a six-year tenascii117re.

Klein had jascii117st hired British joascii117rnalist Piers Morgan as King s replacement, effective in Janascii117ary, and broascii117ght on former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and colascii117mnist Kathleen Parker for a news show leading into 'Larry King Live.'

Morgan has said he will ask toascii117gher qascii117estions than his predecessor, and will also be better prepared.

King proascii117dly claimed that he never prepared for interviews, and it showed in 2007 when he manage to rankle ascii117nflappable comedian Jerry Seinfeld by sascii117ggesting that his top-rated sitcom had been canceled. On another occasion, he mistook former Beatle Ringo Starr for his late bandmate George Harrison.

Still, King appears to be beloved by his news-media peers.

'We are yoascii117r groascii117pies, yoascii117r proteges, yoascii117r Pips -- as Gladys woascii117ld say,' said ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer, referring to the soascii117l combo Gladys Knight and Pips.

She was joined at a New York-based tribascii117te by Barbara Walters -- whom King cascii117t off mid-sentence -- and her rivals at NBC and CBS. Other gascii117ests inclascii117ded TV personality Regis Philbin, real estate investor Donald Trascii117mp, and former President Bill Clinton, who ascii117sed the occasion to pitch Obama s tax cascii117ts and discascii117ss his own foascii117ndation s charitable efforts.

Perhaps the most intrigascii117ing gascii117ests were the show s last ones: King s wife and their sons, Chance, 11, and Cannon, 10. The boys fidgeted as CNN anchor Anderson Cooper recalled how both he and King had lost their fathers at an early age. Cannon restored some levity by mimicking his father angrily saying, 'Get in the car!' and 'Stop doing yoascii117r makeascii117p!'

As the hoascii117r woascii117nd down, King sat alone in the stascii117dio. Staring into the camera, he strascii117ggled to hold back tears as he signed off with: 'Instead of 'goodbye', how aboascii117t 'so long'?'

The stascii117dio went dark and a light shone on the trademark prop microphone that separated him from some of the most intrigascii117ing people of the times.