Who is Mary Parkinson, wife of late Michael Parkinson?

Before marrying Michael she was Mary Ann Heneghan and was born in Doncaster on July 16, 1936.

She and Michael got married in 1959, and like him, she had a career in broadcasting, as well as journalism.

Among her roles she presented the 1970s magazine programme Good Afternoon, produced by Thames Television.

Mary and Michael had three children together during their relationship with Michael Jr, Nicholas and Andrew.

Lady Mary Parkinson, widow of the late Sir Michael Parkinson, was born in Doncaster in 1936 #HiddenHistoryDoncaster pic.twitter.com/zQwSezQcai

— Cllr Gary Stapleton FRSA (@Gary_Stapleton) June 11, 2020

Their eldest son, Michael Jr, is married to comic and actress Fiona Allen.

Michael Parkinson passes away at the age of 88

Michael Parkinson was well known for his chat show Parkinson, which he hosted from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.

He interviewed some massive names throughout his illustrious career including Fred Astaire, Lauren Bacall, John Lennon, Muhammad Ali, Helen Mirren and David Beckham.

Before his TV career, he started life as an only child, growing up in a council house in the coal mining village of Cudworth, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

As a teenager, his father, a miner, took him down the pit to put him off working there.

When his dreams of playing cricket for Yorkshire were dashed, he left school aged 16 and began working at a local paper, later joining the Manchester Guardian and then the Daily Express.

Legendary broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson has died at the age of 88.

Of the many incredible guests he interviewed over the years, he said boxer Muhammad Ali was his favourite.

Here's a clip from one of those memorable interviews from our @BBCArchive pic.twitter.com/3LaC7ckoBV

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 17, 2023

His first TV job was as a producer at Granada, and he later moved to Thames TV, before landing his chat show Parkinson at the BBC.

Sir Michael brought down the curtain on more than 30 years of his chat show at the end of 2007 with a final show featuring Beckham, Sir Michael Caine, Sir David Attenborough, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Edna Everage, Sir Billy Connolly, Peter Kay and Jamie Cullum in a two-hour special.

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.”