Larry King— whodied on Jan. 23, 2021, at the age of 87 — had a relationship history almost as interesting as his interviews.
He was married eight times to seven women, beginning with a high school sweetheart in his late teen years — until his most recent wife,with whom he was estrangedat the time of his death.
In 2010, King talked about his multiple trips down the aisle in an interview withCBS News.
“I think in my life I have loved three people — married all three,” King said. “The other marriages I wasn’t in love. It was the thing to do. I used to say, what if your wife called urgent on one line, on the other CNN called urgent … which one do you pick up? … I used to say CNN.”
He later told PEOPLE in 2020, “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.”
Despite the marital ups and downs, he relished in fatherhood.
“I’m a good father — nothing beats parenthood,” he told PEOPLE in early 2020. “There’s an element of pinching myself every day. Look at what I’ve come through. All in all, if you look at it,I’ve had a blessed life.”
Here’s a look back at Larry King’s dating history.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Freda Miller
According to theNew York Post, King wrote in his 2009 book,My Remarkable Journey, that he and Miller “got an apartment in Queens with a white couch.” However, the former radio host wrote that “it never amounted to anything,” and that the two “were together for maybe six months.”
Annette Kaye
King tied the knot with Kaye in 1961, but they divorced after just one year. She and King welcomed their first child together, Larry Jr., the same year. Shortly after his King’s death in January 2021,Larry Jr. opened up to PEOPLE about his father.
“Our dad was always thinking and focused on what we were up to in our lives,” he said. “He enjoyed just spending time with us and sharing memories together, especially going to Dodger games. I remember us playing basketball in the front yard of our house. Celebrity tour buses would come around, and I think they were caught off guard seeing dad shoot baskets with us. We just loved those moments.”
Alene Akins
Larry King, right, with Alene Akins, center.State Library and Archives of Florida
King was married to Akins, a formerPlayboybunny, twice — from 1961-63 and again from 1967-72. They shared two children, Chaia and Andy, Akins' son whom King adopted during their first marriage. Akins died in 2017, andKing shared his condolences on Twitter.
Three years after Akins' death, King faced another personal tragedy when their children, Andy and Chaia,died just weeks apartin August 2020. Chaia was 51, and her brother Andy was 65.
As he did with their mother and ex-wife Akins, King spoke out about their deaths on social media.
“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,” he wrote on Facebook before adding, “Losing them feels so out of order.No parent should have to bury a child.”
Mary Francis “Mickey” Sutphin
King and Sutphin, an environmental biologist, reportedly met at a radio station in Miami. Between his two marriages to Akins, King wed Sutphin in 1963. The pair had their daughter, Kelly, one year later. They divorced in 1966 before King married Akins for the second time.
“I was not pregnant when we married despite what has been reported,” Sutphin previously toldNew York Post.
Sharon Lepore
Ron Galella/WireImage
After his split from Akins for a second time, King met Lapore, a production assistant and former math teacher. The two were married from 1976 to 1983.
Herb Cohen, author and best friend of King, toldNew York PostthatLepore was one of King’s two loves; the other wasShawn Southwick.
“Sharon was very intelligent, attractive and ambitious, and Larry was very much in love with her,” Cohen said.
Julie Alexander
Larry King and Julie Alexander.Darlene Hammond/Getty
Alexander, a businesswoman, met King in 1989 at a charity event. She would become his sixth wife later that year when the two married in Washington, D.C.
“We just bumped into each other, and there was halo, and it was probably as close as possible to cupid throwing an arrow in my heart,” Alexander toldInside Editionin 2010.
She continued, “I thought my marriage would last forever,” Alexander said. “I never saw him cheat on me, but something was going on.”
King and Alexander, ultimately, separated in 1990 and officially divorced two years later in 1992.
Shawn Southwick
Larry King and Shawn Southwick King, August 2016.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
In 2010, Kingfiled for divorcefrom Southwick, only toretract the paperworkthree months later. Then, for a second time, after nearly 22 years of marriage, King filed for divorce from Southwick in Los Angeles Superior Court on Aug. 20, 2019. He cited irreconcilable differences, and the date of separation was listed as June 6, 2019. In February 2020, Kingopened up about the splitto PEOPLE.
“I’m sorry about the marriage,” King said. “I’ll always care for my wife. But it just hit a point where we didn’t get along.”
The marriage was indeed rocky and tumultuous, plagued withaddiction problemsand infidelity: In 2010, Kingfiled for divorceafter theNational Enquirerreported that Southwick had an affair with one of their sons' baseball coaches, Hector Penate. Penate later admitted to the affair, but the Kings decided to stay together.
Six years later, sources confirmed to PEOPLE in 2016 that the broadcast icon was distraught about another alleged yearlong affair his wife had been having.
Another insider claimed to PEOPLE that Southwick, a former singer, told her alleged lover that her marriage to King was over.
King with Shawn, their sons Cannon and Chance, and son Larry King Jr., in 2009.Michael Schwartz/WireImage
Despite those reports, the former couple denied any reports of cheating in an interview withHome & Familyin August 2016.
“You said an interesting word, ‘rumor.’ I’ve been in the business — next May, it’ll be 60 years — and I’ve dealt with rumors a long time,” he said. “Interviewed people involved with rumors. Rumors are what they are — they’re rumors. And I’ll tell you the truth, I don’t pay any attention to them.”
Southwick added: “Last week, there was a rumor going around about Larry and a speech he made in Kiev. This week, I’m the latest pinup girl. You just have to develop a shell around yourself and not get hard on the inside and stick together.”
The couple appeared to have moved forward until King filed for divorce for the second time in 2019.
“We had a big age difference, and that eventually takes its toll,” he said. “It became an issue. Also, [Shawn] is a very religious Mormon, and I’m an agnostic atheist, so that eventually causes little problems. We overcame a lot, but eventually, it became a ships-passing-in-the-night situation.”
“When you experience it [death] with people who we really, really love, all the other noise and the nonsense that could be surrounding, it just goes away, and the family goes close together. And that’s what happened,” Southwick continued.
source: people.com
