Dickie Bird pays heartfelt tribute to his 'true friend' Sir Michael Parkinson, who made one of his last public appearances before his death at the umpire's 90-year-old birthday party

Dickie Bird paid a heartfelt tribute to his 'true friend' Sir Michael Parkinson on Thursday after the TV talk show icon died aged 88. Parky, a lifelong Yorkshire fan who once had trials for the club, made one of his final public appearances at Headingley in April when he attended Bird's 90th birthday party. Dickie Bird paid tribute to his 'true friend' Sir Michael Parkinson after the talk show icon died Their friendship began in childhood with their love of cricket, and continued for seven decades Yorkshire honoured Parkinson with a minute's silence before their One-Day Cup match in York Yorkshire on Thursday honoured Parkinson with a minute's silence before their One-Day Cup match against Hampshire at York. Parkinson regularly interviewed superstars from the world of sport on his BBC talk show, with notable guests including Muhammad Ali, George Best, Shane Warne and David Beckham.