Sir David Frost, the man who faced down Nixon, dies aged 74

David Frost
1939-2013

Veteran British journalist and broadcaster David Frost, who won fame around the world for his TV interviews with former US President Richard Nixon, has died, his family told the BBC. He was 74.

Frost died of a suspected heart attack on Saturday night aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was due to give a speech, the family said. The cruise company Cunard said its vessel left the English port of Southampton on Saturday for a 10-day cruise in the Mediterranean.

Known both for an amiable personality and incisive interviews with leading public figures, Frost's career in television news and entertainment spanned almost half a century. He was the only person to have interviewed all six British prime ministers serving between 1964 and 2007 and the seven US presidents in office between 1969 and 2008. Outside world affairs, his roster ranged from Orson Welles to Muhammad Ali to Clint Eastwood.

Prime Minister David Cameron praised Frost for being an "extraordinary man with charm, wit, talent, intelligence and warmth in equal measure."

"He could be - and certainly was with me - both a friend and a fearsome interviewer," he added.