King was admitted to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood earlier this month (May15) to be treated for pneumonia in an intensive care unit, but he was taken off life support on Wednesday (27May15) and died hours later, according to TMZ.com.

King, the chief executive of King World Productions, launched the career of Oprah Winfrey by helping creating her talk show in the 1980s alongside his brother Roger, who died in 2007.

The siblings also created TV series for celebrity guru Dr. Phil MCGraw, actress Roseanne Barr, and TV personality Rachael Ray, and helped popularise game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!.

King World Productions was acquired by TV network CBS in 2000.