The crazy wife of Larry King, Shawn, claimed that the TV icon died of sepsis and that she was “ready to go”.
The legendary late-night host died at the age of 87 on Saturday, after a recent battle with Covid, who saw him hospitalized.
King’s seventh wife, Shawn Southwick, whom he married in 1997 and divorced at the time of his death, says he could not overcome an infection after beating the coronavirus.
Larry King’s wife, Shawn, claimed that the TV icon died of sepsis and was “ready to go” after a recent battle with Covid (pictured 1997).
The legendary late-night host died at the age of 87 on Saturday, but the cause of his death has not been officially revealed.
She told Entertainment Tonight: “It was an infection, it was sepsis. Well, he was finally ready to leave, I’ll tell you that.
“You know, he never wanted to go, but his small, sweet body was just that, he had just been hit so many times with so many things, and once we heard the word Covid, all our hearts sank.
“But he beat her, you know, he beat her, but he took her, and then the unrelated infection is finally the one that took him, but boy, wasn’t he going to come down easily.”
Shawn said she was pleased to be able to talk to Larry, the father of her 21-year-old son Chance, and 20-year-old Cannon, by video call before his death.
King married his seventh wife, Shawn Southwick (presented together in 2018) in 1997, but the couple was in the middle of a divorce at the time of his death.
His production company, Ora Media, which he co-founded with his ex-wife Shawn in 2012, confirmed his death on Saturday in a statement
She added that the presenter was eager to tell his family, including his eldest child Larry Jr. from a previous marriage, that he loves them.
Larry filed for divorce from Shawn in August 2019, nine years after they initially separated before reconciling.
But she claims they were life partners and their divorce was never finalized.
Larry had two other children, Andy and Chaia, but died tragically weeks away last summer at the age of 65 and 51, respectively.
King’s production company announced his death in a statement on Saturday.
King is pictured with sons Cannon and Chance on Thanksgiving in November last year. 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 died this morning at the age of 87 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,” the company said.
“Media Hour sends condolences to its surviving children Larry, Jr., Chance, Cannon and the entire King family.”
No cause of death has been reported, but it came three weeks after King was found 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 (in 2014) said she was pleased to be able to talk to Larry, the father of her 21-year-old sons Chance, and 20-year-old Cannon, via video call before his death.
King is believed to have caught the virus from a medical worker visiting his home, a source told NBC. One of his sons, who was not named, gave positive results, they said.
Old age and poor health put him at increased risk. He has suffered from many health problems in the past, including a heart attack, prostate and lung cancer, a stroke and type two diabetes.
Despite his 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 initially separated before reconciliation (in 2010)
“For 63 years and across all radio, television and digital media platforms, Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and enduring talent as a broadcaster,” he said. Media Time.
“Funeral arrangements and a memorial service will be announced later in coordination with the King family, who are requesting privacy at this time.”
Described as “Muhammad Ali of the broadcast interview”, King has had over 50,000 high-quality discussions with presidents, world leaders, Hollywood royalty and sports stars throughout his career, which has spanned more than six decades.
He was also known for his string of famous stories and failed marriages, totaling eight to seven different women, including Playboy Bunny Alene Akins.
HIGH-PROFILE ROMANCES AND LARRY KING’S FAVORITE MARRIAGES
Larry was known for his string of high-quality romance and failed marriages, a total of eight to seven different women.
In his 1982 autobiography, Larry King described himself as a great date, but an ugly husband. Part of her 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 aisle was with his high school sweetheart, Freda Miller, at 18, but the union was canceled the following year at her parents’ request.
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 short but fruitful and led to a son whom King did not meet until 33 years later.
“I knew there was a Larry King Jr. there, I had heard that, but I didn’t know it was mine. The marriage was very short and he told me if he was a boy, I would call him Larry King Jr., the King explained to the New York Post in 2009. “I’ve never heard of it then.”
3. ALENE AKINS (1961-1963) (1967-1972)
Larry King (right) is 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, remarrying in 1967 and divorcing for the second time, last time in 1972.
4. MARIA SUTFIN “MICKEY”
During the four years of 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 contacted a former math teacher and production assistant named Sharon Lepore.
The union lasted seven years, becoming King’s second longest marriage to date.
Two years after his marriage, King filed for bankruptcy, owing more than $ 300,000. He and Sharon divorced in 1982.
6. JULIE ALEXANDER (1989-1992)
Larry King is photographed with his sixth wife (and seventh marriage), Julie Alexander in 1990
He was left alone for a long time for six years, between his sixth and seventh marriage to Philadelphia businesswoman Julie Alexander.
In the summer of 1989, King met Julie and proposed to her first meeting. They married three months later, separated until 1990, and formally divorced two years later. “I like falling 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 sons, Chance and Cannon
In 1997, King married his seventh and last wife, Shawn Southwick – a singer, actress and television host who was 26 years his junior.
The couple married in a hospital room in Los Angeles three days before King underwent heart surgery to clean a clogged blood vessel. They received two sons, Chance, born in March 1999, and Cannon, born in May 2000.
On the tenth anniversary of their wedding in 2007, Southwick joked that she was “the only wife who survived the double digits.” Three years later, the couple filed for divorce in 2010, after Shawn she had an affair with her son’s much younger baseball coach. At the same time, there were rumors that King was having an affair with Shawn’s sister, which both sides vehemently denied.
The couple reconciled, but eventually gave up after 22 years of marriage in August 2019. Southwick said she was “completely blind” to the court’s bombing.