The television world is mourning the loss of New York broadcaster Joe Franklin, who died yesterday.
His longtime producer announced the talk show host succumbed to a years-long battle with cancer.
Franklin hosted shows here in the city for more than four decades starting in the 1950s.
He claimed to have interviewed more than 300,000 guests during that time.
He's also considered by many to be the creator of the template for the TV talk show and was memorably impersonated by Billy Crystal on Saturday Night Live in the 80s.
Franklin more recently appeared on Bloomberg Radio.
His producer says last Tuesday was the first scheduled broadcast Franklin missed in more than 60 years.
Joe Franklin was 88 years old.