New Zealand Woman’s Weekly Issue 6, 2021

He grew up in Brooklyn through the Great Depression and became one of the most admired broadcasters of his generation, pulling in more than a million viewers a night. But the curtain has closed for Larry King. Born in 1933, Larry grew up dreaming of becoming a radio star. “I would lie in bed, look at the radio and I wanted to be on the radio,” he once recalled, but at the age of nine his world came crashing down when his father died of a heart attack. The family was plunged into poverty and when Larry finished high school, he went to work as a milk man instead of enrolling at university, in order to put food on the table. His radio dreams, however, persisted and after being told…

He grew up in Brooklyn through the Great Depression and became one of the most admired broadcasters of his generation, pulling in more than a million viewers a night. But the curtain has closed for Larry King. Born in 1933, Larry grew up dreaming of becoming a radio star. “I would lie in bed, look at the radio and I wanted to be on the radio,” he once recalled, but at the age of nine his world came crashing down when his father died of a heart attack. The family was plunged into poverty and when Larry finished high school, he went to work as a milk man instead of enrolling at university, in order to put food on the table. His radio dreams, however, persisted and after being told there were…

Larry was married eight times – twice to the same woman. WIFE 1: Freda Miller Larry married his high school sweetheart Freda at age 18. The marriage was annulled after a year. WIFE 2: Annette Kaye Larry married Annette in 1961. They separated within months and Annette gave birth to a son, Larry King Jr, who Larry didn’t know about until 33 years later. WIFE 3: Alene Akins Larry married Playboy Bunny Alene soon after his second marriage came to an end. He adopted Alene’s son Andy and the pair had a daughter named Chaia. They split in 1963, remarried in 1967 and divorced again in 1972. WIFE 4: Mary “Mickey” Sutphin In between his marriages to Alene, Larry wed Mickey and had a daughter, Kelly, now 54. WIFE 5:…

Larry was married eight times – twice to the same woman. WIFE 1: Freda Miller Larry married his high school sweetheart Freda at age 18. The marriage was annulled after a year. WIFE 2: Annette Kaye Larry married Annette in 1961. They separated within months and Annette gave birth to a son, Larry King Jr, who Larry didn’t know about until 33 years later. WIFE 3: Alene Akins Larry married Playboy Bunny Alene soon after his second marriage came to an end. He adopted Alene’s son Andy and the pair had a daughter named Chaia. They split in 1963, remarried in 1967 and divorced again in 1972. WIFE 4: Mary “Mickey” Sutphin In between his marriages to Alene, Larry wed Mickey and had a daughter, Kelly, now 54. WIFE 5: Alene Akins WIFE 6: Sharon Lepore Former maths teacher and production…

One of my favourite things about the Weekly is that we are able to follow the lives of beloved Kiwis who we have watched on the telly or listened to on the radio for years. It’s an absolute joy to get to know these familiar faces and voices even better – and especially so when it comes to this week’s star, Kevin Milne. Back in December 2001, writer Donna Fleming was tasked with going to Kapiti Coast to interview him – he had just welcomed his fourth child into the world. She remembers Tommie’s big blue eyes and how Kevin was such a doting dad. Over the years, we have seen Tommie gr ow up and it’s wonderful to have her back in this issue! Kevin has also dispensed his…

One of my favourite things about the Weekly is that we are able to follow the lives of beloved Kiwis who we have watched on the telly or listened to on the radio for years. It’s an absolute joy to get to know these familiar faces and voices even better – and especially so when it comes to this week’s star, Kevin Milne. Back in December 2001, writer Donna Fleming was tasked with going to Kapiti Coast to interview him – he had just welcomed his fourth child into the world. She remembers Tommie’s big blue eyes and how Kevin was such a doting dad. Over the years, we have seen Tommie gr ow up and it’s wonderful to have her back in this issue! Kevin has also dispensed his wisdom…