Larry King’s widow, Shawn King, contested his amended will, which left his entire multimillion-dollar fortune to his children and nothing to her.
Shawn, from whom Larry filed for divorce in August 2019, claimed in court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, February 16, that she and the late talk show host “had gone to counseling, were still speaking, and reconciliation remained possible until Larry’s health conditions made that impractical.” She also alleged that their divorce “had been pending for quite some time” and that Larry “was generally nonresponsive and refused to participate in the divorce proceeding” before his death on January 23.
Shawn, 61, asked to be named a special administrator of the former Larry King Live host’s estate instead of his eldest son, Larry King Jr., who previously nominated himself for the role, pending a judge’s approval.
“During the term of the marriage Shawn 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, and currently. Shawn is the one with the most knowledge of Larry’s businesses, assets and wishes,” Shawn’s attorneys said in Tuesday’s court filing.
The lawyers pointed out that Larry Jr., 59, whom the Emmy winner shared with his second wife, Annette Kaye, did not have any relationship with his father until his 30s.
“[Larry Jr.] has never been involved in Larry’s career or business,” Shawn’s attorneys said, calling it “highly inappropriate to place him in a position of representing Larry’s estate.”
Prior to going to court, Shawn told the New York Post’s Page Six that she and Larry had drafted “a very watertight family estate plan” in 2015 “as a couple.” She added, “It still exists, and it is the legitimate will.”
Us previously obtained a will dated October 17, 2019, in which Larry wrote that he wanted “100% of my funds” to go to his kids. He noted that the legal document, which he signed nearly two months after filing for divorce from Shawn, “should replace all previous writings.”
Larry died of sepsis at age 87 from after being hospitalized with COVID-19. He is survived by Larry Jr. and his two sons with Shawn: Chance, 21, and Cannon, 20. His children Andy and Chaia, whom he shared with his third wife, Alene Akins, died within three weeks of each other in the summer of 2020. Andy and Chaia were 65 and 51, respectively.
With reporting by Marjorie Hernandez
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