Larry King’s heartbroken wife, Shawn, said the TV icon died of sepsis and was “ready to go”.
The legendary dawn host died on Saturday at the age of 87, after a recent battle with Covid, which led to him being hospitalized.
King’s seventh wife, Shawn Southwick, whom he married in 1997 and who was divorcing at the time of his death, says he was unable to overcome an infection after beating the coronavirus.
Larry King’s wife Shawn said the TV icon died of sepsis and was ‘ready to go’ after a recent battle with Covid (photo in 1997)
The legendary dawn host died on Saturday at the age of 87, but his cause of death has not been officially revealed
She told Entertainment Tonight: ‘It was an infection, it was sepsis. Well, he was finally ready to go, I’ll tell you that.
‘You know, he never wanted to go, but his sweet little body was simply, he had been hit so many times with so many things and when we heard the word Covid, all of our hearts sank.
‘But he won, you know, he won, but he took his price and then the unrelated infection was finally what got him, but man, he wasn’t going to fall easily.
Shawn said he was grateful to be able to speak with Larry, the father of her children, Chance, 21, and Cannon, 20, in a video call before his death.
King married his seventh wife, Shawn Southwick (photographed together in 2018) in 1997, but the couple was divorcing at the time of his death
His producer, Ora Media, which he co-founded with ex-wife Shawn in 2012, confirmed his death in a statement on Saturday.
She added that the presenter was eager to tell the family, which also included their eldest son, Larry Jr., from a previous marriage, that he loved them.
Larry filed for divorce from Shawn in August 2019, nine years after they split up before they reconciled.
But she claims that they were partners for life and that the divorce was never finalized.
Larry had two other children, Andy and Chaia, but they died tragically weeks apart last summer, aged 65 and 51, respectively.
King’s producer announced his death in a statement on Saturday.
King is pictured with his sons Cannon and Chance on Thanksgiving last November. King was reportedly removed from the ICU on January 4 after being hospitalized with COVID-19 for more than 10 days, according to reports
“With deep sadness, Ora Media announces the death of our co-founder, host and friend Larry King, who passed away this morning at the age of 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” the company said.
‘Now Media sends our condolences to the surviving children Larry, Jr., Chance, Cannon and the entire King family.’
No cause of death has been reported yet, but it occurred three weeks after King was revealed to have been hospitalized with coronavirus 10 days earlier.
He was reportedly transferred from the ICU on January 4, but remained in hospital for treatment.
Shawn (photo in 2014) said he was grateful to have spoken to Larry, the father of his sons Chance, 21, and Cannon, 20, in a video call before his death
King is believed to have contracted the virus from a health professional who visited his home, a source told NBC. One of their children, who was not identified, also tested positive, they said.
His old age and health problems put him at high risk. He had suffered several health problems in the past, including a heart attack, prostate and lung cancer, a stroke and type two diabetes.
Despite his poor health, he continued to host a weekly talk show, Politicking with Larry King, until his death.
Larry filed for divorce from Shawn in August 2019, nine years after they split up before they reconciled (photo in 2010)
“For 63 years and across all radio, television and digital media platforms, Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards and global acclaim are testament to his unique and enduring talent as a broadcaster,” said Ora Media.
“Preparations for the funeral and a funeral ceremony will be announced later in coordination with the King family, who are asking for their privacy at this time.”
Described as the ‘Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview’, King conducted more than 50,000 high-profile lectures with presidents, world leaders, Hollywood royalty and sports stars during the course of his career that spanned more than six decades.
He was also known for his series of high-profile romances and unsuccessful marriages, eight in total for seven different women, including Playboy bunny Alene Akins.
HIGH-PROFILE ROMANCES AND LARRY KING’S FAILED WEDDINGS
Larry was known for his series of high-profile romances and unsuccessful marriages, eight in total for seven different women.
In his 1982 autobiography, Larry King described himself as a great boyfriend, but a terrible husband. Part of his problem was due to a permanent need to be seen with famous models and beauties.
1. FREDA MILLER (1952-1953; canceled)
King’s first walk down the hall was with his high school sweetheart, Freda Miller, at 18, but the union was canceled the following year by his parents’ order.
2. ANNETTE KAYE (1961-1961)
King then married his second wife, Annette Kaye, in 1961, but they separated in a few months.
Their relationship was brief but fruitful and resulted in a son that King did not know until 33 years later.
‘I knew there was a Larry King Jr out there, I heard that, but I didn’t know he was mine. The wedding was very short and she told me that if it is a boy, I will call him Larry King Jr ‘, explained the oldest king to The New York Post in 2009.’ So I never heard of it again. ‘
3. ALENE AKINS (1961-1963) (1967-1972)
Larry King (right) with Playboy Bunny Alene Akins
Shortly after his relationship with Kaye ended, King married Playboy bunny Alene Akins, with whom he adopted a son named Andy and had a daughter named Chaia.
King and Akins separated after a few years, only to remarry in 1967 and divorce for the second time, the last time in 1972.
4. MARY ‘MICKEY’ SUTPHIN
During his four-year separation from Akins, King found time to marry his fourth wife, Mary ‘Mickey’ Sutphin, with whom he had a daughter named Kelly.
Kelly was later formally adopted by Sutphin’s second husband.
5. SHARON LEPORE (1976-1983)
Larry King and fifth wife Sharon Lepore
In 1976, King married a former math teacher and production assistant named Sharon Lepore.
The union lasted seven years, making it King’s second longest marriage to date.
Two years after the wedding, King filed for bankruptcy, owing more than $ 300,000. He and Sharon divorced in 1982.
6. JULIE ALEXANDER (1989-1992)
Larry King is pictured with his sixth wife (and seventh marriage), Julie Alexander in 1990
He remained single for a long period of six years, between his sixth and seventh marriage to Philadelphia-based businesswoman Julie Alexander.
In the summer of 1989, King met Julie and asked her to marry him on the first date. They married three months later, were separated in 1990 and formally divorced two years later. “I love being in love,” he told Anderson Cooper in a 2009 interview.
7. SHAWN SOUTHWICK (1997-2019)
King was last married to Shawn Southwick, with whom he shares two children, Chance and Cannon
In 1997, King married his seventh and last wife, Shawn Southwick – a singer, actress and TV presenter 26 years younger.
The couple married in a Los Angeles hospital room, three days before King underwent cardiac surgery to clean a clogged blood vessel. They took in two children, Chance, born in March 1999, and Cannon, born in May 2000.
On her tenth wedding anniversary in 2007, Southwick joked that she was ‘the only wife who lasted up to double digits.’ Three years later, the couple filed for divorce in 2010 after Shawn had an affair with his son’s much younger baseball coach. At the same time, rumors were circulating that King was having an affair with Shawn’s sister, which both parties vehemently denied.
The couple reconciled, but ended up giving up after 22 years of marriage in August 2019. Southwick said she was “totally blind” because of King’s outburst in the lawsuit.