SIR DAVID FROST has passed away unexpectedly. He was 74 years old.

According to BBC News, the broadcaster suffered a suspected heart attack while on board a cruise liner last night.

The deceased’s family said they would announce details of a private funeral and memorial service “in due course”.

In a statement, a spokesperson said:

His family are devastated and ask for privacy at this difficult time.

The family also revealed that he was giving a speech aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship when he suffered the cardiac arrest.

Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his sympathies on hearing of Frost’s passing.

“My heart goes out to David Frost’s family. He could be – and certainly was with me – both a friend and a fearsome interviewer,” he tweeted.

The BBC’s Barney Jones, who edited Breakfast with Frost programme for more than 10 years, paid tribute:

David loved broadcasting, did it brilliantly for more than 50 years and was eagerly looking forward to a host of projects – including interviewing the prime minister next week – before his sudden and tragic death. We will all miss him enormously.

Frost, one of the UK’s most famous journalists, began his television career in 1963 with That Was The Week That Was but became a household name for his hosting of Through the Keyhole.

The Frost Report went on to introduce Britain to now, well-known personalities John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett.

Transformed into a film in 2008, the revealing 1977 Nixon Interviews are often cited as his greatest achievement.

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