The legendary television and radio host Larry King passed away last month at the age of 87. While it was initially reported that he had died due to complications from COVID-19, his true cause of death has finally been revealed.

King’s death certificate, which was obtained by People Magazine, has confirmed that he died of sepsis. He reportedly had two underlying conditions that led to sepsis, including acute hypoxic respiratory failure, which meant that he did not have enough oxygen in his blood. King’s second underlying condition was end stage renal disease, which is also known as kidney failure.

King died on January 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, three weeks after it was revealed to the public that he had been hospitalized with COVID-19, which he had been battling since the end of December. However, his estranged wife Shawn King told Entertainment Tonight last month that the coronavirus did not kill him.

“It was an infection, it was sepsis,” she said. “Well, he was finally ready to go, I will tell you that. You know, he never wanted to go but his sweet little body was just, it had just been hit so many times with so many things and once we heard the word COVID, all of our hearts just sunk. But he beat it, you know, he beat it, but it did take its toll and then the unrelated infection finally is what took him, but boy, he was not gonna go down easily.”

Shawn went on to talk about how hard it was to watch King struggle with health issues in the final years of his life.

“His mind wasn’t right, and his body was going, and so that was hard to witness because Larry as we know him is the guy that goes, ‘Come on, let’s go, you’re late, get out of here,'” she remembered. “It’s always, ‘You’re late.”’

After King’s death, his surviving sons Larry King, Jr., 59, Chance King, 21, and Cannon King, 20, released a touching statement paying tribute to him.

“We are heartbroken over our father’s death, and together with our extended family mourn his passing. The world knew Larry King as a great broadcaster and interviewer, but to us he was ‘dad,'” they said. “He was the man who lovingly obsessed over our daily schedules and our well-being, and who took such immense pride in our accomplishments — large, small, or imagined. And, through it all, we knew without a doubt in the world that he loved us more than life itself. He was an amazing father, and he was fiercely loyal to those lucky enough to call him a friend. We will miss him every single day of our lives.”

“The outpouring of love and the remembrances of his remarkable career have touched us deeply and we are so thankful,” they added. “In lieu of flowers, we kindly ask consideration of a donation to the American Heart Association or the Beverly Hills Fire Department EMS, to which a debt of gratitude is owed for the wonderful care they provided to our dad in his final years. With deep appreciation.”