ABC - TALK SHOW HOST CRANE DIES

Former U.S. talk show host LES CRANE has died at the age of 74.
Crane enjoyed a long and successful career as a radio presenter, helping to pioneer the talk radio format, and he even picked up a Grammy Award in 1971 for his spoken word reading of Max Ehrmann's epic poem Desiderata.
He is also credited with giving legendary rockers The Mamas and The Papas their name, and helping to found the Top 40 chart, while working for Los Angeles radio station KRLA.
Crane also enjoyed a brief, but successful, stint as a TV host, most notably with The Les Crane Show, which aired on network ABC from 1964 to 1965. The Rolling Stones made their first U.S. TV appearance on the show. Crane also interviewed Bob Dylan, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
After ending his showbusiness career, Crane became the chairman of a computer game company.
He died from natural causes in hospital in Marin County, California on 12 July (08).