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Larry King, legendary talk show host and a broadcast pioneer, died Saturday at the age of 87.
“With profound sadness, Ora media announces the death of our co-founder, host, and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at age 97 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” his company said in a statement posted to Twitter.
“For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster,” the statement said.
King, with his trademark suspenders and iconic voice, spent more than 60 years in the spotlight. He hosted CNN’s “Larry King Live” for 25 years, interviewing everyone from world leaders and icons to criminals and conspiracy theorists during 6,000-plus episodes of the show from 1985 to 2010.
LARRY KING, BROADCAST PIONEER AND LEGENDARY TALK SHOW HOST, DIES AT 87
Larry King died at the age of 87 on Saturday, his production company confirmed in a statement. (Getty Images)
In addition to his wide-ranging interviews with celebrities, politicians, athletes and more throughout his decades-long career, King’s personal life generated headlines, too.
One critical part about his life off-camera was his relationships with his seven ex-wives, as well as his role as a father. He was married eight times, to seven different women, and at the time of his death, he was single after divorcing actress Shawn King in 2019.
Here’s a look at all seven of the women who walked down the aisle with the entertainment icon.
Freda Miller (1952-53)
King walked down the aisle for the first time with his high school girlfriend, Freda Miller. Their union came in 1952 when King was reportedly 18 years old. The marriage was short-lived, however. The union was annulled in 1953 because their parents reportedly did not approve.
LARRY KING LOSES 2 CHILDREN WITHIN WEEKS OF EACH OTHER
Annette Kaye (1961)
King would go on to marry his second spouse, Annette Kaye in 1961. Their marriage lasted less than one year. Kaye gave birth to King’s first son, Larry King Jr.
Alene Akins (1961-63, 1968-71)
King said “I do” a third time to Playboy bunny Alene Akins in 1961. During their union, King adopted Akins’ son Andy. The marriage lasted two years and ended in divorce in 1963, but this wouldn’t be the end of his romance with Akins.
LARRY KING FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM WIFE SHAWN KING AFTER 22 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
The TV legend was married eight times to seven women. He married his third wife, Alene Akins, twice. (Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
The pair rekindled their romance in 1968, which came after he married and divorced his fourth wife Mickey Sutphin. During their second marriage, Akins gave birth to their daughter, Chaia.
King and Akins split for good, however, in 1971.
Sadly, both Andy and Chaia died within weeks of each other last summer. Andy, 65, died in late July and his daughter Chaia, 51, lost her battle with lung cancer weeks later.
King spoke out about his childrens’ deaths in a statement last August.
LARRY KING SAYS 26-YEAR AGE GAP, RELIGION TOOK ‘ITS TOLL’ ON MARRIAGE, ULTIMATELY LED TO DIVORCE
“It is with sadness and a father’s broken heart that I confirm the recent loss of two of my children, Andy King, and Chaia King. Both of them were good and kind souls and they will be greatly missed,” he wrote on Facebook. “Andy passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on July 28th, and Chaia passed on August 20th, only a short time after having been diagnosed with lung cancer.”
Mickey Sutphin (1964-66)
King’s fourth wife is Mickey Sutphin. The duo wed in 1964 and divorced in 1966 after welcoming a daughter, Kelly. Kelly was later adopted by her Sutphin’s subsequent husband.
Sharon Lepore (1976-83)
After divorcing Sutphin, King lived the single life. But the bachelor life wouldn’t last for long as he struck up a romance with Sharon Lepore, a production assistant. Their marriage lasted six years until it ended up also ending in divorce.
Larry King and wife Sharon. (Diane Freed/Getty Images)
Julie Alexander (1989-92)
In 1989, King walked down the aisle yet again, this time with businesswoman Julie Alexander. The pair called it quits in 1990 but wouldn’t become officially divorced until 1992.
Circa 1990, American talk show host Larry King with his sixth wife, Julie Alexander. They divorced in 1992. (Darlene Hammond/Getty Images)
Shawn Southwick (1997-2019)
Actress Shawn Southwick, who also lent her voice to movies such as “Shrek,” was King’s final wife. The couple were married for 22 years before King filed for divorce in August 2019 after 22 years of marriage. They are parents to two sons: Chance and Cannon.
“I’m sorry about the marriage,” King said to People Magazine last year. “I’ll always care for my wife. But it just hit a point where we didn’t get along.”
LARRY KING’S ESTRANGED WIFE, SHAWN, SAYS SHE WAS ‘BLINDSIDED’ BY DIVORCE
Larry King (L) and Shawn King arrive for The Brent Shapiro Foundation Summer Spectacular on September 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Gabriel Olsen/WireImage via Getty Images)
“I got married a lot,” he added. “But in my head, I’m not a marrying guy. When I grew up, nobody lived together. If you fell in love, you got married. And so I married the ones that I loved. But what I loved at 20 is not what I loved at 30 and what I loved at 30 is not what I loved at 40.”
This marriage was King’s longest. King and Southwick withstood rumors of cheating that cropped up after a brief separation.
“I never cheated on my wives,” King said. “My career always came first.”
King said it wasn’t just his changing emotions that led to the split.”We had a big age difference and that eventually takes its toll,” said King, who is 26 years older than his 60-year-old wife. “It became an issue. Also, [Southwick] is a very religious Mormon and I’m an agnostic atheist so that eventually causes little problems.”
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