Iconic TV personality Larry King passed away over the weekend, and many may be wondering about his seventh wife, Shawn Southwick, whom King recently was said to have divorced. King’s marriage to Southwick was his longest-lasting relationship over the years, and they shared two children together. The pair married in 1997 and separated in 2019. It was previously reported that they were officially divorced but a new report from Showbiz 411 indicated that they were estranged, though not actually divorced.
In her youth, Southwick spent a lot of time around the showbusiness world, as she grew up with parents who worked in Hollywood, per The List. Her father is Karl Engemann, who was the Vice President of Artist & Repertoire at Capitol Records. He was also Marie Osmond’s manager for 35 years. Notably, as recent as 2019, Engemann had also served as Larry King’s manager. Southwick’s mother Jerri is a singer who previously performed as a studio singer with Elvis, as well as with Bob Dylan, and was with the ’60s group the Ray Conniff Singers.
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Southwick eventually became a working actress and starred in TV shows such as Knight Rider, Who’s the Boss? and Remington Steele. She also hosted USA Network’s Hollywood Insider from 1990 to 1996. Prior to meeting King, Southwick was married to professional football player Daniel Southwick, whom she was with for several years in the 1980s.
King and Southwick’s marriage was not without its scandals, as Southwick was alleged to have cheated on King at least twice. A 2016 Page Six story implied that the marriage was more or less over around 2010, with a source saying, “They just show up for appearances. She loves being Mrs. Larry King and the travel. She stays with him for the kids’ sake.” The couple denied the reports; however, PEOPLE later quoted a separate source as saying, “It’s true, and Larry is completely embarrassed and anguished by all of this. He doesn’t know what to do.”
Southwick also suffered from an addiction to painkillers, which she entered rehab for in 2008. Two years later, she suffered a frightening relapse and was found unconscious after having overdosed. It was reported that this followed a revelation that Southwick had cheated on King. After more than two decades together, the late TV host announced that he had filed for divorce. This came as a surprise to Southwick who to the Daily Mail, “I was crushed, I had no idea that this was coming, it hurt yeah. I was totally blindsided.”
