Larry King bows out after 25 years

Veteran American television host Larry King has presented his last programme on CNN chat show Larry King Live after being in charge of the segment for 25 years.

President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, were among a host of leading personalities who lined up to congratulate the 77-year-old.

While Schwarzenegger proclaimed Thursday Larry King Day, President Obama hailed the host for "opening our eyes to the world beyond our living rooms" in a message taped at the White House.

Guest Bill Maher stated: "This is not Larry's funeral. Larry is going to be hopefully in our living rooms for a lot of years to come...This is the end of a show, not the end of the man."

During his career, King, who will be replaced by Englishman Piers Morgan in January, won a number of accolades including an Emmy Award, two Peabody Awards and several Cable ACE Awards.

He conducted more than 50,000 interviews during the show.