Larry King’s Family: A Comprehensive Guide to His Wives and Kids

Credit: Bei/Shutterstock; Dan Steinberg/BEI/Shutterstock; Courtesy Cannon King/Instagram

Larry King’s Family: A Comprehensive Guide to His Wives and Kids

From ladies’ man to family man! As one of the most recognizable names in broadcasting history, Larry King was quite the catch in his heyday, resulting in eight marriages to seven women. The TV and radio host, who died from sepsis at age 87 in 2021, walked down the aisle for the first time in 1952 with his high school sweetheart, Freda Miller. Their union was annulled the following year. King had another brief marriage in 1961. Only months after he exchanged vows with Annette Kaye, the former couple divorced. Kaye went on to raise their son, Larry King Jr., as a single mother. The same year as his marriage to (and separation from) Kaye, the New York City native tied the knot with Alene Akins. He adopted her son from a previous relationship, Andy King, before the pair divorced in 1963. Larry wed his fourth wife, Mary Francis “Mickey” Sutphin, soon after splitting from Akins, and they were together until 1967. Later that year, he remarried Akins, with whom he welcomed daughter Chaia King in 1969. However, the on-off couple’s second shot at love came to an end in 1972. Next came Sharon Lepore, with whom Larry said “I do” in 1976. While their union seemed at first to be his strongest yet, it ended in divorce too in 1983. [sendtonews type="float" key="3Aj0j57eC6-3111220-14453"] Despite six failed marriages under his belt, Larry showed no signs of slowing down. He wed Julie Alexander in 1989 after a whirlwind courtship, only to split the following year. The Peabody Award winner’s longest and most fruitful union began in 1997 when Shawn Southwick became his seventh and final wife. At the time, he was 63, and she was 37. They welcomed sons Chance King and Cannon King in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and celebrated a milestone in 2007: their 10th wedding anniversary. “[I am] the only [wife] to have lasted into the two digits,” Southwick quipped to the New York Daily News in 2008. Larry filed for divorce in 2010, but he and Southwick got back together soon after. Then, in 2019, he again submitted paperwork to end their marriage. The case was still ongoing when he died 17 months later, and his widow claimed in court documents obtained by Us Weekly that “reconciliation remained possible” prior to his passing. Scroll down for a comprehensive guide to the late star’s wives and children!

Credit: Bei/Shutterstock; Dan Steinberg/BEI/Shutterstock; Courtesy Cannon King/Instagram

Larry King’s Family: A Comprehensive Guide to His Wives and Kids

From ladies’ man to family man! As one of the most recognizable names in broadcasting history, Larry King was quite the catch in his heyday, resulting in eight marriages to seven women. The TV and radio host, who died from sepsis at age 87 in 2021, walked down the aisle for the first time in 1952 with his high school sweetheart, Freda Miller. Their union was annulled the following year. King had another brief marriage in 1961. Only months after he exchanged vows with Annette Kaye, the former couple divorced. Kaye went on to raise their son, Larry King Jr., as a single mother. The same year as his marriage to (and separation from) Kaye, the New York City native tied the knot with Alene Akins. He adopted her son from a previous relationship, Andy King, before the pair divorced in 1963. Larry wed his fourth wife, Mary Francis “Mickey” Sutphin, soon after splitting from Akins, and they were together until 1967. Later that year, he remarried Akins, with whom he welcomed daughter Chaia King in 1969. However, the on-off couple’s second shot at love came to an end in 1972. Next came Sharon Lepore, with whom Larry said “I do” in 1976. While their union seemed at first to be his strongest yet, it ended in divorce too in 1983. [sendtonews type="float" key="3Aj0j57eC6-3111220-14453"] Despite six failed marriages under his belt, Larry showed no signs of slowing down. He wed Julie Alexander in 1989 after a whirlwind courtship, only to split the following year. The Peabody Award winner’s longest and most fruitful union began in 1997 when Shawn Southwick became his seventh and final wife. At the time, he was 63, and she was 37. They welcomed sons Chance King and Cannon King in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and celebrated a milestone in 2007: their 10th wedding anniversary. “[I am] the only [wife] to have lasted into the two digits,” Southwick quipped to the New York Daily News in 2008. Larry filed for divorce in 2010, but he and Southwick got back together soon after. Then, in 2019, he again submitted paperwork to end their marriage. The case was still ongoing when he died 17 months later, and his widow claimed in court documents obtained by Us Weekly that “reconciliation remained possible” prior to his passing. Scroll down for a comprehensive guide to the late star’s wives and children!

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Freda Miller

After an 18-year-old Larry eloped with his classmate in 1952 (he still went by his birth name, Larry Zeiger, at the time), their disapproving parents reportedly had the marriage annulled in 1953.

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Annette Kaye

Larry’s shortest union began and ended in 1961.

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Alene Akins

The Emmy winner married the Playboy Bunny later in 1961. After divorcing two years later, they became husband and wife again in 1969, only to separate once more in 1972. Larry called Akins a “grand lady” via Twitter after she died in 2017.

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Mickey Sutphin

Larry wed the environmental biologist in 1963. They divorced in 1967.

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Sharon Lepore

He and the math teacher said their vows in 1976. Their marriage ended in 1983.

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Julie Alexander

Larry proposed to the businesswoman on their first date in 1989. They wed two months later. After living in different cities — he in Washington, D.C., and she in Philadelphia — they separated in 1990 and divorced in 1992. “I thought my marriage would last forever,” Alexander told Inside Edition in 2010.

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Shawn Southwick

Larry married the singer in his hospital room in 1997 after undergoing heart surgery. Following a brief split in 2010, they started a second divorce case in 2019. Shawn said in court documents obtained by Us that she was “actively involved in Larry’s career and businesses, was a partner in many of them, and continued in that role up to Larry’s death.”

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Larry King Jr.

Due to his short-lived marriage to Kaye, Larry did not meet his first child until Larry Jr. was in his 30s. After Larry’s death, Larry Jr. and Southwick fought over who should be in charge of his estate.

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Andy King

Larry’s adopted son died from a heart attack in 2020.

Credit: Courtesy Larry King/Instagram

Chaia King

Larry and Akins’ daughter lost her battle with lung cancer one month after her brother Andy’s death. “Both of them were good and kind souls and they will be greatly missed,” the TV veteran wrote via Facebook at the time.

Credit: Courtesy Chance King/Instagram

Chance King

Larry and Southwick’s eldest son plays baseball and studies communications at the University of Southern California. He interned at Fox Sports in 2020.

Credit: Courtesy Larry King/Instagram

Cannon King

Like his older brother, Cannon is a baseball player and studies at West Los Angeles College.