Barnsley pay tribute to famous fan Michael Parkinson, who interviewed David Beckham and Muhammad Ali among others, following death at 88

Barnsley have paid tribute to famous fan Sir Michael Parkinson, following the passing of the chat show host aged 88.

With a TV career spanning seven decades, he interviewed some of the world’s biggest stars including Muhammad Ali and David Beckham.

Parkinson interviewed iconic sports stars on his chat showGetty

Parkinson has died at the age of 88Getty

A statement from Sir Michael’s family said: “After a brief illness Sir Michael Parkinson passed away peacefully at home last night in the company of his family.

“The family request that they are given privacy and time to grieve.”

Parkinson first aired on the BBC on June 19 1971, and enjoyed a successful run until 1982. In 1998, the chat show was revived on the BBC and proved an instant hit.

It switched from the BBC to ITV1 in 2004 and ran until 2007 – the same year Sir Michael retired from his Sunday morning Radio 2 programme.

His interviews with Ali were iconic and boosted viewers by millions every time he was on.

“I interviewed him four times – I lost on every occasion,” he said.

Tributes have since flooded in, including from Barnsley, the team who Parkinson was a life-long fan of.

Parkinson was a huge sports fan and a lifelong Barnsley supporterGetty

“Barnsley Football Club is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Michael Parkinson CBE,” a statement read on Twitter.

“The town has lost one of its favourite sons, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”