E! News is reporting that Sir David Frost, a legendary broadcaster that was made famous for being able to draw an apology out of Richard Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal, has passed away.

Frost passed away on a cruise ship sailing from England. His death was apparently caused by a heart attack and was confirmed by his family in a statement given to BBC. In this statement, his family also asked the public to respect their privacy:

“His family are devastated and ask for privacy at this difficult time. A family funeral will be held in the near future and details of a memorial service will be announced in due course.”

As mentioned above, Frost was able to get Nixon to apologize in his series of interviews in 1977 and is still very much respected for it. He reflected on the matter later in life:

“That was totally off-the-cuff. That was totally ad-lib. In fact, I threw my clipboard down just to indicate that it was not prepared in anyway…I just knew at that moment that Richard Nixon was more vulnerable than he’d ever be in his life. And I knew I had to get it right.”

Frost and Nixon pictured here.

Such interviews eventually inspired their own movie and play (both named Frost/Nixon). The movie was also nominated for 5 Academy Awards.

Rest in peace, Sir David Frost. The world will miss you dearly.

Source: E! News

Images From: Abcnews.go.com, Outsidethebeltway.com

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