British journalist David Frost, famed for Nixon interviews, dead at 74

USPA News - British journalist David Frost, who was best known internationally for coaxing an apology from former U.S. President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal, died Saturday after suffering a heart attack on board a cruise ship, his family said on Sunday. He was 74. Frost died unexpectedly on late Saturday evening when he suffered a heart attack while on board the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he was due to give a speech.

The vessel had left the English port of Southampton on Saturday and is expected to arrive in the Portuguese capital of Lison on Tuesday. "Sir David died of a heart attack last night aboard the Queen Elizabeth which is a Cunard (cruise) liner where he was giving a speech. His family are devastated and ask for privacy at this difficult time," his family said in a written statement, adding that a private funeral will be held in the near future. British Prime Minister David Cameron said Frost made a "huge impact" on television and politics, calling his interviews with Nixon among the great broadcast moments. "Sir David was an extraordinary man - with charm, wit, talent, intelligence and warmth in equal measure," he said. Frost became famous in Britain in the 1960s with his television satire show "That Was The Week That Was," but he achieved fame worldwide when he interviewed Nixon three years after his resignation and coaxed an apology from him for his role in the Watergate scandal and the subsequent cover-up. "I`m sorry," Nixon confessed to Frost. "I let down my friends. I let down the country. I let down our system of government and the dreams of all those young people that ought to get into government but will think it`s all too corrupt and the rest. ... Yep, I let the American people down. And I have to carry that burden with me for the rest of my life." The famed journalist interviewed many, from presidents and prime ministers to royalty and celebrities, but also wrote seventeen books and produced several films during his five-decade career. He worked for several employers, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Al Jazeera English. "You couldn`t write the history of broadcasting today without realizing the huge influence David had on it," BBC Director-General Tony Hall said. "From satire to comedy to the big political interviews, for more than 50 years he brought us the history of the world we live in today, that`s the mark of the man." Frost is survived by his wife Carina and their three sons.