Presidents bid farewell as Larry King hangs up his mike

TWO presidents and four television news anchors turned out to bid iconic US TV host Larry King farewell as he pulled the curtain down on his CNN talk show after 25 years.

King, 77, was serenaded by Tony Bennett singing The Best Is Yet to Come via videolink.

The dean of American talk show hosts had announced this summer he would leave, ushered out by a struggling network. Once the dominant voice in cable television news, King has faded in a sea of sharp talkers. British talk show host and talent show judge Piers Morgan takes over the time slot in January.