British chat show host Sir Michael Parkinson died "after a brief illness" aged 88 surrounded by family at his Bray home, west of London on the Thames River.
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His family announced the death on August 16.
Sir Michael had three sons with wife Mary, who he married in 1959.
He spoke openly about being diagnosed with prostate cancer following a routine health check in 2013 and said he got the all-clear two years later.
The renowned British broadcaster interviewed some of the most famous celebrities of the 20th century from Muhammad Ali to John Lennon, Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman.
"Parky" also interviewed a host of Australians including Barry Humphries, Ian Thorpe, Shane Warne and Paul Hogan.
And even met Karl Kennedy on an episode of Neighbours.
He got his television break in 1971 when the BBC offered him his own eponymous talk show Parkinson and was knighted in 2008.
Cockney-accented icon Sir Michael Caine remembered him as "charming" saying he always looked forward to being interviewed by the chat show host.
British comedian Eddie Izzard called him the "king of the intelligent interview".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met the broadcaster a number of times, describing him as a "great friend of Australia" who loved to visit in summer.
"My mum loved him - never missed an interview," Mr Albanese told Sky News on Friday.
"Parky had an ability to draw out the character of the people he was speaking with - it was as if they had known each other for years or decades," he said.
"He was warm and generous, he was never unkind either.
"It wasn't a gotcha moment. It was about drawing out character and he was the best."
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Mike Carlton, who worked with Sir Michael when he was at LBC radio in London, said his colleague was "genial, enormous fun to be with, a miner's son" who "hated snobbery and pretence".
"And (he) had a large corner of his heart for Australia. There was no one quite like him," Carlton posted on social media site X.
Carlton noted there was a tall gum tree near Sir Michael's house on the banks of the Thames.
"He complained that it kept dropping leaves. 'Should I prune it?' he asked me. 'Don't think so,' I said."
With Australian Associated Press
Anna Houlahan
Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
