Entertainment

Mourners wore braces to Larry King’s funeral, says widow

The chat show host, who died on Saturday at the age of 87, was famed for wearing braces on air.
The chat show host, who died on Saturday at the age of 87, was famed for wearing braces on air. The chat show host, who died on Saturday at the age of 87, was famed for wearing braces on air.

Mourners at the funeral of Larry King wore braces in tribute to the late talk show veteran, his widow said.

King, who interviewed a who’s who of A-list stars during a glittering career, died on Saturday at the age of 87.

Former US president Bill Clinton, who was interviewed by King more than 20 times, was among those who paid tribute, describing him as having a “great sense of humour and a genuine interest in people”.

King’s widow, Shawn King, revealed that his funeral has taken place and mourners, including the couple’s two sons, wore braces, known in the US as suspenders, which the host was famous for wearing on screen.

She told Entertainment Tonight: “We all, it was just family, we wore Larry’s suspenders, every one of us. And it was beautiful, loving, just perfect, just perfect. It was family. There was no showbiz, no, none of that.”

The 61-year-old added: “We laid him to rest this morning. And in the Jewish faith, they do it very quickly, so you almost don’t have time to, for me, to process. I’m still processing. As are the boys.”

She revealed her last words to her husband were “I love you” and in their final conversation he told her to “take care of the boys” – Chance, 21, and 20-year-old Cannon.

King did not die of Covid-19, said his widow, who married the star in 1997, and revealed he “beat” the virus before his death was caused by other health issues.

King presented Larry King Live on CNN for 25 years.

He died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.