Sir David Frost, legend of broadcasting, dies aged 74

The legendary broadcaster Sir David Frost has died following a suspected heart attack while on board a cruise ship, his family have announced. He was 74.

Tributes have begun pouring in for the veteran writer and broadcaster, many via Twitter.

The news of Sir David Frost's death is sudden. It is believed he had been giving a speech aboard the cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth on Saturday evening (30 August).

A brief statement read: "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."

Respected across political lines, Frost interviewed an array of world leaders, from British prime ministers to American presidents - most notably a post-Watergate Richard Nixon, surely to remain his best-remembered encounter and which was the subject of the stage play and film, Frost/Nixon.

Educated at Cambridge University, where he was secretary of the Footlights society, he went on to define an era of British broadcasting through the groundbreaking satirical programmes, That Was The Week That Was and The Frost Report.

After helping to launch the London Weekend Television (LWT) franchise, his international reputation grew and he worked both in America and the UK.

In the 1980s, he was one of the founding presenters of ITV's franchise, TV-AM and continued to have a close association with breakfast news programmes via LWT and the BBC's long-running Breakfast With Frost over the next two decades. He also appeared on a number of light entertainment shows and hosted the popular Through The Keyhole.

Sir David Frost is believed to be the only person to have interviewed eight British prime ministers, from Harold Wilson to David Cameron, and seven US presidents, from Nixon to George W. Bush.

Paying tribute, David Cameron said: "My heart goes out to David Frost's family. He could be - and certainly was with me - both a friend and a fearsome interviewer."

Labour leader, Ed Miliband offered his "deep condolences to Sir David Frost's family.

"He defined a new era of the TV interview. Never intimidated by Prime Ministers or Presidents," he said.