Former cricket umpire Dickie Bird has described saying “goodbye” to Sir Michael Parkinson the day earlier than he died – with the buddies having an unstated feeling it might be their last chat.

Bird was emotional as he recalled his last phrases along with his good friend of 74 years – who died on Wednesday night after a short illness.

“I was completely shocked because I only spoke to him yesterday. We had a long chat yesterday,” he informed Sky News.

“I know he hasn’t been well, he hasn’t been well at all, and his voice yesterday – it didn’t sound as if it was strong. It was a weak voice. I knew then there was something wrong with him.”

The 90-year-old broke down as he remembered his parting dialog with the TV presenter.

“We cracked a few jokes together, we had a few tears in our eyes, and we said goodbye – goodbye to each other at the end of the phone call – as if we had this feeling we wouldn’t see…

“I had this sense we would not see one another once more and we stated goodbye, and that was it.”

Sir Michael died aged 88 after a profession that made him one among Britain’s best-loved TV personalities, along with his interview model and heat attracting the world’s greatest names.

His present first ran from 1971 to 1982, earlier than relaunching in 1998 till he retired in 2007.

Dickie Bird informed Sky News he was a “very, very special friend” and so they had identified one another since they have been youngsters in Barnsley.

They have been each sons of coal miners and performed on the identical cricket crew of their youth – with Bird saying ‘Parky’ saved future England cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott out the crew.

“I was so sad when I heard the news this morning – I slumped in my chair and shed a few tears,” stated the 90-year-old.

He recalled how they might often chat on the telephone and that Sir Michael travelled from Berkshire to say a number of phrases at this birthday in April – regardless of being unwell.

Bird stated he informed him “he would have walked” to get there such was their friendship.

‘He made it easy’

Comedian Rory Bremner informed Sky News that Sir Michael was “the greatest interviewer there’s been” and remembered fondly the “twinkle in his eye”.

He stated his success was based mostly round being “genuine and authentic” and rooted in his Yorkshire upbringing.

“He made it effortless, but it wasn’t effortless at all,” stated Bremner.

“It was a lot of work. It was the instincts of a journalist, the warmth and wit of an intelligent and warm and funny human being. He was a lovely man.”

Bremner stated the calibre of company Sir Michael attracted spoke for itself.

He stated: “You look at those shows he had in the 70s, the people he had – Charlton Heston, Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Kenneth Williams, Bob Hope, Dirk Bogarte.”

Actors, comedians and TV stars have been lining as much as pay tribute to Sir Michael within the hours since his demise was introduced.

Stephen Fry described being interviewed by him as “impossibly thrilling”.

“The genius of Parky was that (unlike most people… and most of his guests, me included) he was always 100% himself,” he wrote on Instagram.

“On camera and off. ‘Authentic’ is the word I suppose.”

Comedian Eddie Izzard remembered him because the “king of the intelligent interview”, whereas British singer and actress Elaine Paige described him as “legendary”.

‘The supreme interviewer’

Sir David Attenborough stated he was an “ideal interviewer who asked interesting and often important questions because he genuinely wanted to know the answer”.

“He also had a great sense of humour and didn’t take himself too seriously,” stated the well-known naturalist.

Sir Michael Caine, who appeared on the interviewer’s last present, tweeted: “Michael Parkinson was irreplaceable, he was charming, always wanted to have a good laugh. He brought the best of everyone he met.”

Read extra:
Parky’s five most memorable interviews
Obituary: A gentle Yorkshire accent and razor-sharp wit

The tv legend grew up as an solely youngster in a council home close to Barnsley and regardless of being a promising cricketer he left college at 16 and went into journalism.

He labored on a neighborhood paper earlier than shifting on to jobs at The Guardian in Manchester and the Daily Express.

He obtained his break in TV as a producer at Granada, shifting to Thames TV earlier than touchdown his chat present Parkinson on the BBC.

He additionally had a short-lived time period at TV-AM as a part of the unique line-up alongside the likes of Angela Rippon and David Frost.

A knighthood for his a long time of labor adopted in 2008, with Sir Michael giving the modest reply: “I never expected to be knighted – I thought there was more chance of me turning into a Martian really.”

In 2013, he revealed he was being handled for prostate most cancers however stated he had no intention of stopping working.

Sir Michael was married to his spouse Mary for greater than 60 years and the couple had three sons.