'I'm getting towards the end': Emotional Dickie Bird recalls final words with Sir Michael Parkinson before his death
18 August 2023, 00:34 | Updated: 18 August 2023, 01:35
Former cricket umpire Dickie Bird has recalled his final moments talking to close friend Sir Michael Parkinson before his death.
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Sir Michael became a household name interviewing high-profile celebrities including Muhammad Ali, Sir Billy Connolly, Sir Elton John and Dame Helen Mirren among others.
Sir Michael, who was fondly called 'Parky' by friends and fans, became one of the most famous names in Britain after his seminal interviews.
One of his closest friends, Dickie Bird, told LBC's Shelagh Fogarty the final words he shared with the TV legend before his death.
"We had a long chat on the phone and he said to me 'Dickie, I think I'm getting towards the end,'" Bird said.
"And I said 'no, you've got to keep going mate... we shed a few tears together as friends, and we said our goodbyes yesterday morning."
He added: "At least I had the conversation with him in the morning... he gave me a gift that I shall always treasure. As long as I live, I'll always treasure that."
Friend of Michael Parkinson reflects on their memories together
Bird and Sir Michael played cricket together at Barnsley cricket club.
He said: "I remember it clearly - he was such a good player at club level. We played together for quite a few years."
The pair first met as schoolboys.
"Since we were schoolboys we were friends, close friends," Bird said. "Friends right to the end. My condolences of course go to Mary his wife, and his lads. I'll miss him."
During his career, Sir Michael also faced notoriously uncomfortable celebrity encounters. He was attacked while speaking to Rod Hull and Emu and encountered a tetchy Meg Ryan.
The director-general of the BBC described him as "the king of the chat show" and an "incredible broadcaster and journalist".
In a statement, Tim Davie said: "Michael was the king of the chat show and he defined the format for all the presenters and shows that followed.
"He interviewed the biggest stars of the 20th century and did so in a way that enthralled the public. Michael was not only brilliant at asking questions, he was also a wonderful listener.
"Michael was truly one of a kind, an incredible broadcaster and journalist who will be hugely missed."
The 76-year-old Rocketman singer wrote: "Michael Parkinson was a TV legend who was one of the greats. I loved his company and his incredible knowledge of cricket and Barnsley Football Club.
"A real icon who brought out the very best in his guests."
Sir Elton John said he "loved" Sir Michael's company as he paid tribute to the late broadcaster on Instagram.
Comedian Stephen Fry said being interviewed by Sir Michael was "impossibly thrilling".
On Instagram, Fry wrote: "The genius of Parky was that (unlike most people (and most of his guests, me included) he was always 100% himself. On camera and off.
"Authentic" is the word I suppose.
"For one of the shows I was on with Robin Williams, a genius of unimaginable comic speed and brilliance. Now they're both gone.
"One should get used to the parade of people constantly falling off the edge, but frankly one doesn't. So long #parky."
Sir David Attenborough said that Sir Michael's northern accent was "a very refreshing voice in those days", hailing him as the "king of the intelligent interview".
"That's not quite true, you knew he was not a southerner, you knew he was a northerner and that was a very refreshing voice in those days and you knew that he would do his homework and that he would ask questions that didn't occur to you."
"(Michael was) extremely professional, you knew that he would know all the background and you didn't have to fill in anything.
"He was extremely generous, he wanted you to shine and would always laugh at your jokes and give you an opportunity to make them sound funnier than in fact they were."
British singer and actress Elaine Paige paid tribute to Sir Michael, describing him as a "legendary interviewer". Sharing a picture of the pair, she said: "Such very sad breaking news that Sir Michael Parkinson has died.
"Have known him for many years, sang on his TV chat show & attended many events with him.
"A legendary interviewer that will be remembered as the best of his profession. We will never see his like again."
Sir Michael Palin said that the interviewer was "a very good journalist".
He said: "He wanted to get people on his show who entertained him and therefore who he thought would entertain the audience.
"It didn't always work. In some cases, people (interviewees) suspected what they saw as the difficult questions he might ask in among all the fun and the enjoyment.
"He was a very good journalist, and a very proud journalist, and it was very important for him not to give people an easy ride. But he did basically choose people he liked, because he liked to be entertained himself."
Sir Michael Caine said: "He was charming, always wanted to have a good laugh. He brought the best of everyone he met. Always looked forward to be interviewed by him."
Gary Lineker called him "a truly brilliant broadcaster and wonderful interviewer."
"He was very much part of Saturday nights growing up: Parkinson then Match Of The Day. RIP Parky," he said.
His fellow football presenter Dan Walker called Sir Michael "a TV titan".
"It was always a pleasure to talk to him, on & off camera, about cricket, football, politics & TV," he said.
"He was full of advice, picked up over his remarkable career, & always brought the best out in others.
"A proper gent who will be missed be many."
Eddie Izzard said: "Very sad to hear that Michael Parkinson has left us. He was the king of the intelligent interview".
A statement from Sir Michael's family said: "After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.
"The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve."
In 2013 the presenter revealed he was receiving radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer.
He said he got the all-clear from doctors two years later.
Sir Michael, was born in Cudworth, near Barnsley, in 1935. He left school aged 16 and cut his teeth in journalism at the Barnsley Chronicle before being drafted for National Service.
After becoming the youngest captain in the Army, Sir Michael joined the Daily Express.
His big break on Fleet Street came after he was handed a weekly sports column in The Sunday Times in 1965. Sir Michael moved from newspapers to television in the late 1960s when he was offered a role on Granada as a local reporter.
He was made a CBE in 2000 and was knighted in 2008.
Parky, who presented his programme Parkinson from 1971 to 1982 and again from 1998 to 2007, was last seen in public in April. He appeared frail as he celebrated his friend Dickie Bird's 90th birthday bash.
He also hosted two seasons of Parkinson: Masterclass on Sky Arts in 2012 and 2013.
The broadcasting legend, who lived in Berkshire with his wife Mary, has previously spoken about his long-running chat show.
Speaking about his legendary tv chat shows he said: "I had the best of it, in terms of the guests I could choose from."
"The older ones and the newer ones, and also the kind of television that was being shown in those days. It was bliss."
Of his favourites, Parkinson still counts iconic footballer George Best, with whom he developed a deep friendship before his premature death aged 59, following a liver transplant.
He also counts Sir Billy Connolly among his favourite interviews, and praised the comedian as "a natural funny man".
