David Frost Dies: Veteran British Broadcaster Dead At 74; How Did He Die?

David Frost, a British newscaster who was well-known for his interviews with former U.S. President Richard Nixon, has died. Frost was giving a speech on a cruise ship, and later died from a heart attack, his family said. He was 74. The BBC published a statement on his death from his family in which they asked for privacy during this time. "My heart goes out to David Frost's family," British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted Sunday morning. "He could be -- and certainly was with me -- both a friend and a fearsome interviewer."

Frost's interview series with Nixon was made into a movie in 2009 entited "Frost/Nixon," directed by Peter Morgan. Frost was known for getting many memorable quotes from the president who later resigned for his Watergate scandal, including the quote "I'm saying when the president does it, that means it's not illegal." The quote would later serve as a reminder for the disgraced president's infamy.

Though Frost's gripping interviews with politicians garnered him the most notariety, he began his career with satire. In the 1960s, he worked on a BBC comedy news show called "That Was the Week That Was." The show featured big named such as John Cleese and was one of the first in the genre. Frost's ambitions didn't always begin in broadcast, however, as he originally aimed to follow in his Methodist minister father's footsteps as a child. In university, he followed short-lived dreams to become a soccer player before landing himself in broadcast afterward. Friends praised his ability to put his guests at ease.

"What was remarkable about Sir David was his ability to put any interviewee at ease, from the most high and mighty to an ordinary person in the street," Charlie Courtauld, who worked with Frost in his later years at Al Jeezera English, said in a statement. "He found interest in anybody. Whoever he was interviewing would realise that Sir David was genuinely interested in them and their lives. He was very much a people person."

Frost was knighted in 1993 and received a multitude of awards for his achievements. He is survived by his wife of 30 years and three children.