The legendary chat show host Sir Michael Parkinson, who passed away at the age of 88, has left behind a substantial legacy for his family.
The iconic British broadcaster, known for his in-depth interviews with some of the biggest names in entertainment over his five-decade career, including David Beckham, Muhammed Ali, Billy Connolly, and David Attenborough, dedicated entire episodes to exploring the lives and careers of his guests.
Sir Michael's death came after a short illness, following eight years of being cancer-free after his battle with prostate cancer. On August 16, 2023, his family released a touching statement: "After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family. The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve."
It has now been disclosed that Sir Michael's estate was valued at nearly £300,000 according to reports in the Mirror. his will, which was recently approved by a court, showed he left £308,985, reduced to £292,512 after deductions for funeral expenses, legal fees, and debts.
His wife of 64 years, Lady Mary Parkinson, is the beneficiary of all his cash and assets as reported by the Sun. Andrew, Nick, and Mike, the sons of the late chat-show legend affectionately known as 'Parky', were named executors of his will, which was signed in May 2020.
Mourners gathered to bid farewell to the broadcasting icon at a modest funeral held a month after his passing, where his coffin was adorned with a cricket cap and the red and white scarf of his favourite football team, Barnsley.
The service took place at St Michael's Church in Bray, Berkshire. Sir Michael's son Mike spoke on BBC Breakfast about the overwhelming tributes that poured in following his father's death, saying: "We didn't expect the kind of outpouring, we didn't expect what happened. I mean, not just here but in Australia. I mean, Australia, there was a golf course he used to be a member of and they put the flag at half mast."
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Mike reflected on the global gestures of respect, adding: "Remarkable kind of gestures like that. And I have said previously that it's a very difficult situation to be in as a family because you do actually feel that you should step back for a while and just let the public mourn the man that they lost in the sense that you don't want to almost step on their toes because they had a particular relationship with him, either through television, radio, through print."
He elaborated on the family's approach to grieving, stating: "And in a sense they're mourning a different person and so we have to, in a sense, keep out what we were mourning and keep it separate and allow that to subside before we're really able to as a family come together and remember him as a dad and as a husband of 64 years."
When asked about his family's current state, Mike confessed they were still in a "sense of shock" and admitted he often found himself wanting to contact his father before realising he couldn't.
Sir Michael was a man who rose from humble beginnings – born in South Yorkshire in 1935, and raised in a council house in Cudworth, near Barnsley. Michael passed away due to 'frailty of old age', as stated on his death certificate.
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