Larry King’s Wife Shawn Southwick: Marriage Timeline, Kids, Divorce, and Estate Issues

If you’re searching for Larry King’s wife, you’re probably trying to figure out one simple thing: who was he married to at the end of his life? The short answer is Shawn Southwick, a former model and TV personality who became his seventh wife (and part of his eighth marriage). But their story isn’t just a name on a timeline—it’s a long, complicated chapter filled with health scares, parenting, separation rumors, and legal questions that followed after his death.

Who was Larry King’s wife at the time of his death?

At the time Larry King died in January 2021, his most recent wife was Shawn Southwick (also known as Shawn Southwick King). They married in 1997 and remained legally connected through his death, even though they had periods of separation and divorce filings over the years.

This point matters because people often assume a divorce filing automatically means a divorce is finalized. In Larry and Shawn’s case, their relationship went through public ups and downs, and the legal status became part of the larger story after he passed away.

Who is Shawn Southwick?

Shawn Southwick is a former model and television personality who entered the public eye more widely after marrying Larry King. She is significantly younger than Larry was, and their pairing drew attention from the start because it mixed old-school media legend energy with a newer, entertainment-world lifestyle.

Even so, Shawn wasn’t just a silent figure in the background. Over the years, she appeared in interviews, attended events with Larry, and became a visible part of his public life—especially during the era when he was already a household name and still working constantly.

When did Larry King and Shawn Southwick get married?

Larry King and Shawn Southwick married on September 5, 1997. One detail that people still mention is that the wedding happened while Larry was facing serious health concerns around that time, which added urgency and intensity to the moment. Their marriage lasted far longer than any of Larry’s previous marriages, which is part of why Shawn is the spouse most people associate with him today.

They were together through major public phases of his career—television, radio, and later digital media—while also building a family life that Larry didn’t have in the same way during several of his earlier marriages.

Did Larry King and Shawn Southwick have children?

Yes. Larry King and Shawn Southwick had two sons together: Chance and Cannon. For many fans, this is the part that humanizes Larry the most. He wasn’t only the interviewer in suspenders asking world leaders tough questions—he was also a dad raising kids during his later years.

Larry spoke openly at times about fatherhood and the way it changed his day-to-day priorities. Even if his career never really slowed down, having young children reshaped how people saw him, and it also reshaped the public’s curiosity about his home life.

Why did people keep hearing about divorce filings?

Part of the confusion around Larry King’s wife comes from the fact that Larry and Shawn had more than one highly public relationship crisis. They filed for divorce once in 2010 and later reconciled. Then Larry filed again in August 2019, which became widely reported and sparked a wave of headlines suggesting the marriage was ending for good.

To the public, it looked like the final break. But real relationships, especially long ones under stress, don’t always follow a straight line. Sometimes divorce filings are a step toward separation. Sometimes they’re a pressure valve during a crisis. Sometimes they’re serious—and sometimes they’re not completed.

That’s why, even after the 2019 filing, people still asked: Were they actually divorced? Were they separated? Were they living together? It was messy, and the public didn’t get a neat, clear wrap-up.

What happened after Larry King died?

Larry King died on January 23, 2021, and soon after, attention turned from his career legacy to the complicated question of his personal and financial legacy. When someone famous dies, the public often wants one clean story. But estates don’t work that way—especially when there are multiple marriages, children from different relationships, and unresolved legal issues.

Because Shawn was his most recent wife and the divorce was widely discussed, her role became a major talking point. People weren’t just curious about grief or romance anymore—they were curious about legal standing, inheritance, and who had the right to make decisions.

In situations like this, it isn’t unusual for emotions to collide with paperwork. Even loving families can argue when uncertainty enters the picture. And when the family is famous, those disputes often become public.

A quick look at Larry King’s long marriage history

Larry King was known for being married multiple times—so when someone asks about “Larry King’s wife,” they may be asking about a specific era. Over his lifetime, Larry had eight marriages to seven women. Shawn was the final wife, but not the only significant relationship in his story.

Here’s why that matters: when a person has children from different marriages, or long relationships spread across decades, “wife” can mean different things depending on the time period. Some fans remember him with earlier spouses; most modern viewers remember him with Shawn.

Instead of trying to turn his marriage history into gossip, it helps to see it as a timeline of a long life. Larry lived in public for decades, and his personal life moved through different seasons just like his career did.

Why Shawn became the wife most people remember

Even though Larry had multiple marriages, Shawn is the one that tends to stick in public memory for a few reasons:

• Length: Their marriage lasted about two decades, longer than his others.
• Timing: This was the era when Larry was already a global TV icon.
• Family: They had children together, which made the relationship feel more rooted.
• Public moments: Their separations and filings played out publicly, so people remember the headlines.

In short, Shawn wasn’t just “one of his wives.” She became the spouse linked to his later-life identity—fatherhood, aging, health issues, and the final stretch of his public career.

What their relationship seemed like from the outside

From the outside looking in, Larry and Shawn’s relationship had a mix of devotion and strain. They appeared together often, and they shared big family moments publicly at times. But they also faced the pressures that can weigh down any marriage—especially one with a large age gap, constant work demands, and nonstop media interest.

It’s also worth remembering that Larry’s health challenges were serious over the years. Long-term medical issues can change the rhythm of a household. They can add stress, shift responsibilities, and put emotional weight on daily life. Couples either grow together through that, or they struggle under it—or sometimes both in different phases.

That’s why their story doesn’t feel like a simple “happy” or “unhappy” label. It feels like a real relationship that went through real pressure.

Why people still search “Larry King’s wife” today

Even years after his passing, people still look up Larry King’s wife for a few main reasons:

• They want clarity: Headlines about divorce created confusion.
• They’re reading about his legacy: Obituaries and retrospectives often mention his family.
• They’re curious about the estate side: Legal questions keep the topic alive.
• They remember him from TV: Viewers who grew up watching him want the “full story.”

And honestly, it makes sense. Larry’s whole career was built on asking questions and digging for details. It’s not surprising that the public does the same when it comes to his own life.

What to take away from the story

If your goal is the straightforward answer, here it is: Larry King’s wife at the end of his life was Shawn Southwick. But if you want the fuller picture, their marriage represents Larry’s late-life chapter—one that mixed public fame with private family responsibilities, and one that continued to raise questions even after he died.

It’s easy for celebrity relationships to become a headline or a punchline. But when you look at the timeline—marriage, children, separation attempts, and the uncertainty that followed—you see something more human than gossip. You see a long relationship trying to hold together under the weight of time, pressure, and public attention.

And for many people, that’s exactly why the question “Larry King’s wife” keeps getting typed into search bars: it’s not only about who he married. It’s about what that marriage meant in the final season of a very public life.