Tom DeLonge
DeLonge in 2009 with blink-182
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Matthew Delonge Jr.
Born	(1975-12-13) December 13, 1975 (age 36)
Origin	Poway, California, United States
Genres	Punk rock, pop punk, skate punk, alternative rock, space rock, neo-progressive rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, film producer, armchair philosopher
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass, trumpet, piano
Years active	1992–present
Labels	To the Stars, DGC, Interscope, Geffen, Suretone, MCA, Grilled Cheese, Cargo Music, Kung Fu
Associated acts	blink-182, Angels & Airwaves, Box Car Racer
Website	www.modlife.com
Notable instruments
Gibson Tom DeLonge Signature ES-333 Fender Tom DeLonge Stratocaster Gibson Les Paul,[1] Gibson ES-335

Thomas Matthew "Tom" DeLonge, Jr. (born December 13, 1975) is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists for the American pop punk band blink-182 as well as the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Angels & Airwaves. He was also the guitarist and lead vocalist for the alternative band Box Car Racer.

Raised in Poway, California, DeLonge developed an interest in punk rock during his teens. Tom was voted Homecoming King at the Poway High School dance when he didn't attend the school anymore, after being expelled from Poway High School for drinking at a basketball game. He then attended Rancho Bernardo High School where he met Anne Hoppus. Anne Hoppus introduced him to her brother, Mark Hoppus, who also shared an interest in music. Tom also introduced Mark to Scott Raynor. The three formed blink-182 which became one of the most popular rock groups of the 1990s–2000s. Travis Barker replaced Scott in later years. The group underwent an indefinite hiatus in 2005, with DeLonge focusing more on his Angels & Airwaves project. blink-182 reformed in 2009, and released a new album in September 2011.

DeLonge has also pursued non-musical endeavors; he created a social networking website called Modlife, as well as two clothing companies. In 2001, he started Atticus Clothing and Macbeth Footwear with Mark Hoppus. DeLonge sold his shares in Atticus Clothing, and is currently the sole owner of Macbeth Footwear.

Early life[link]

He was raised by his mother, Connie, and his father, Thomas Sr., in Poway, California. He has an older brother, Shon, and a younger sister, Kari. His first musical instrument was the trumpet, which his parents gave to him for Christmas when he was eleven.^[2] DeLonge was an average student in school, saying that "I knew exactly how hard I had to work in school. As long as I got that C, I wouldn't try one minute extra to get a B. I just cared about skateboarding and music."^[2] He played the guitar for the first time at his friend's house one afternoon, and received his first guitar during his freshman year of high school as a 15th birthday present.^[3] DeLonge spent much time trying to learn songs by Descendents.^[4] One of DeLonge's first musical endeavors was Big Oily Men, a band of which he was the only constant member.^[4]

Despite his early interest in music, becoming a musician was not his first calling. DeLonge originally planned to become a firefighter, and participated in the San Diego Cadet Program.^[5] His parents divorced when he was eighteen, which would later become the inspiration for the blink-182 song "Stay Together for the Kids".^[6] DeLonge was kicked out of Poway High School during his junior year (1991) after being caught drunk at a school basketball game. He then attended Rancho Bernardo High School for the remainder of his high school year. The song "Dick Lips" was based on him getting kicked out of school, and was also referenced in the Angels and Airwaves song Rite of Spring. When he returned to Poway High School during his senior year, the students voted him Homecoming King despite the fact that he was not even on the ballot.^[4] DeLonge graduated from high school in 1993.^{[citation needed]}

Music career[link]

Blink-182 (1992–2005; 2009–present)[link]

When he began attending Rancho Bernardo High School in early 1992, he became friends with fellow student Anne Hoppus, who was also interested in punk rock. They became friends over the summer of 1992, when DeLonge expressed desire to be in a band with her. So, Anne introduced her brother Mark Hoppus to DeLonge in August 1992. To impress DeLonge, Hoppus climbed to the top of a streetlight outside of DeLonge's home – however, he broke both ankles on the way down, resulting in being in crutches for the next few weeks. DeLonge recruited old friend Scott Raynor from his days at Poway to become the drummer for the new band, initially named Duck Tape until DeLonge renamed the band as blink.^[4]

blink released various demos throughout 1993 and caught the attention of local San Diego record label Cargo Music, where they signed and recorded their debut album Cheshire Cat in February 1994. The band quietly gained success in Southern California, touring throughout 1995 and 1996 in their own van.^[7] The band was threatened with legal action by an Irish pop band of the same name in 1994, and, to avoid a legal dispute, the band appended "182" to the end of their name.

Blink-182. DeLonge (front) with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker in 2003

The band moved to Encinitas, California in 1996, where they would record their second album Dude Ranch with producer Mark Trombino. blink-182 recorded the album under Cargo Records, but signed with MCA in 1998 in order to handle increased distribution. The album was released in 1997 and was relatively commercially successful, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. The single "Dammit" did well on U.S. modern rock charts, and the band received a small degree of mainstream success.^[8]

Hoppus and DeLonge fired Raynor midway through a U.S. tour in 1998 after a drinking problem became far too prevalent.^[9] Hoppus and DeLonge asked drummer Travis Barker of blink-182's support band The Aquabats to fill in for Raynor for the remainder of the tour, and, after being impressed with Barker, asked him to join the band.^{[citation needed]}

DeLonge (left) with Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus in Blink-182 Summer Tour, 2009.

The band released their breakthrough album Enema of the State in June 1999 to commercial success, fueled by successful singles "What's My Age Again", "All the Small Things", and "Adam's Song".^[8] After releasing live album The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) in November 2000, the band entered the studio and recorded their fourth studio album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, released in June 2001. The album continued the band's commercial success and popularity.^[8]

After performing with Box Car Racer for much of 2002, DeLonge and Barker rejoined the band to record their eponymous fifth studio album, released in November 2003. The album continued the commercial success that previous albums had endured, as well as being critically acclaimed: blink-182 represented a more "mature" band than seen in the past,^[10] with the band infusing experimentalist elements into their usual punk rock sound, inspired by lifestyle changes (the band members all became fathers before the album was released) and side-projects (Box Car Racer and Transplants).^[11]

Tensions arose between the band members as DeLonge expressed his desire to cancel the tour and enter a half-year respite from touring in late 2004, and the band officially announced an "indefinite hiatus" in February 2005. DeLonge formed Angels & Airwaves while Hoppus and Barker continued playing music together in +44. In August 2008, the band's frequent producer Jerry Finn died of a cerebral hemorrhage,^[13] and Barker barely survived a plane crash in September, sustaining second and third degree burns on his lower body and torso. Both events would be catalysts for the band reuniting; in 2010, DeLonge reflected, "If that accident hadn't happened, we wouldn't be a band. Plain and simple. That was fate."^[14]

The band announced their reunion in February 2009 at the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony.^[15] A well-received reunion tour took place in mid-2009, with a European leg performed in summer 2010. The band's sixth studio album Neighborhoods was released on September 27, 2011 and was promoted on the 2011 Honda Civic Tour.^[16]

Blink-182 is recognized as a key pioneer of contemporary pop punk music, influencing various acts over their career.^[8] They released their sixth album, Neighborhoods, in September 2011.

Box Car Racer (2002–2003)[link]

Box Car Racer was a side-project from two members of the band Blink-182, featuring guitarist Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis Barker. DeLonge formed Box Car Racer to experiment with and record ideas he felt were not "Blink-friendly", along with Travis Barker. David Kennedy from Hazen Street completed the group and a self-titled album was recorded, which debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200. Although Tom handled bass duties, the band hired Kennedy's friend Anthony Celestino for the corresponding tour. Guests on the album included Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 on the song "Elevator", and Tim Armstrong from Rancid. Tim Armstrong did vocals with Tom in the song "Cat Like Thief". Box Car Racer disbanded in 2003 after DeLonge and Barker went back to the studio with Mark Hoppus to start recording their new album Blink-182.^[17]

Angels & Airwaves (2005–present)[link]

Tom DeLonge is the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for Angels & Airwaves, often stylized as AVA (Named after his daughter, Ava). Other members in the band include high school friend, former Hazen Street guitarist, and Box Car Racer guitarist David Kennedy; on drums former Nine Inch Nails drummer and former Lost Prophets drummer Ilan Rubin; and on bass former 30 Seconds to Mars bassist Matt Wachter. AVA is influenced by a number of bands including U2, Pink Floyd, and The Cure. They released their debut album We Don't Need to Whisper on May 20, 2006. On April 23, 2007, it was announced that Ryan Sinn would not be playing at the free Earth Day concert at the M.I.T. campus due to difficulties within the band. He was later replaced with former 30 Seconds to Mars bassist Matt Wachter. The band's second full-length album entitled I-Empire, released November 6, 2007, debuted on the Billboard 200 Chart at No. 9 and sold 66,000 copies in its first week.^{[citation needed]}

Love is the third studio album by Angels & Airwaves, which was officially released for free worldwide on February 14, 2010 after being delayed on Christmas 2009. The album was downloaded over 500,000 times in the first 48 hours of its release.^{[citation needed]}

The band produced a full-length film also entitled Love written and directed by William Eubank. The film premiered on February 2, 2011 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, despite previously stating on Modlife that there might be a Fall 2011 release date of the film at The Sundance Film Festival.^{[citation needed]}. DeLonge also revealed that the upcoming fourth studio album and second album in the "Love" Project, titled Love II, would include 48 minutes of extra music.^[18]

The first single and music video from the expected album, "Anxiety", was released on August 11, 2011. The second single, "Surrender", was released on October 31, 2011. The fourth studio album, Love: Part Two was officially released (via the band's own label, To the Stars Records) alongside the film Love on November 1, 2011. The album is the last featuring drummer Adam Willard, who left the band shortly before its release in October 2011. Along with its predecessor, Love: Part Two is a concept album that explores themes such as "love, God, and hope."

Musical equipment[link]

DeLonge performing in 2004 with his standard Gibson Tom DeLonge Signature ES-333 guitar.

Fender Guitars worked with DeLonge to create the Tom DeLonge Stratocaster (signature guitar) which consisted of a solid alder body fitted with a single Seymour Duncan Invader Bridge pickup. It was controlled by a lone volume knob adding to its simple design. At first, the Stratocasters were fitted with an American 2-Point tremolo system and was later replaced by a hardtail bridge. Its neck was made of solid maple with a rosewood fretboard, although there have been some custom Stratocasters that were fitted with maple fretboards. The necks included a large 1970s "CBS" headstock.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, whilst touring with Box Car Racer, Tom began collaborating with Gibson to create a new Signature Model. He started off by using a standard Gibson ES-335, with all but the bridge volume knob removed, and the bridge pick-up replaced with a Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pick-up. This guitar was eventually covered with many different stickers including band stickers and clothing line stickers from Atticus Clothing, Macbeth Footwear and Famous Stars and Straps. This guitar can be seen in Box Car Racer live photos and in the studio videos for the Untitled Album. In one of the videos, a prototype for his signature is seen that included an orange stripe instead of cream with a matching orange headstock, a metal volume knob, and a wrap-around bridge, instead of the Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge. In 2003, Gibson released his signature model, the Tom DeLonge Signature ES-333, which has only been available since its release in Brown and Cream, with a Natural neck and headstock. Along with his Gibson signature, Tom also used a baritone Fender Jazzmaster with a Seymour Duncan Invader live, as seen in AOL live sessions with the song "Obvious". The Tom DeLonge Signature starts with Gibson's classic semi-hollow body design and then extends it into punk rock with an overwound 'Dirty Fingers' humbucking pickup. Its thick, distorted tone is the signature sound of DeLonge's band Blink-182.^[19] On Angels & Airwaves albums, We Don't Need to Whisper and I-Empire Tom has used his signature Gibson ES-333 for all of his live shows. However, he has a number of touring guitars, which he has had made in a few different color combinations, including matte black with a black racing stripe, natural with a black racing stripe and white with a black racing stripe. Since the Blink-182 reunion, he has been seen using his original brown and cream guitar (which now has a Blink-182 'smiley logo' spray-painted onto the body), his natural and black guitar (which has now been abused with burns, scrapes, and stickers), and a new black and white guitar (made by Baratto), which is a custom Baritone version of his standard signature guitar, made for playing the song "Obvious" and other down-stepped songs. Epiphone has since come out with a lower cost version of the Tom DeLonge signature guitar, manufactured in China, but fitted with the same Dirty Fingers humbucker.^{[citation needed]}

From very early on in Blink's career, Tom had used a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier amp head and a Marshall JCM 900 amp head along with Mesa Boogie and Marshall cabs for live shows. As his career progressed, Tom began using an intricate rack system along with three matching 4x12 and three 2x12 Mesa Boogie cabs. The rack system still made use of the Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier amp head, but it also included a Mesa Boogie 2:90 power amp and Triaxis preamp, Marshall EL34 power amp and JMP-1 preamp and a Voodoo Labs GCX Audio Switcher, all controlled via a Custom Audio Electronics midi footswitch (The rack discontinued the use of the Marshall JCM 900 amp head). The rack system also included a Furman power conditioner and Shure wireless unit.^{[citation needed]}

For Angels and Airwaves, Tom made use of the same rack system minus the Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier but also included a TC Electronic G-Force effects unit as well as two Palmer PGA-04 amp simulators (one for the Triaxis preamp and one for the JMP-1 preamp).^{[citation needed]}

For Blink-182, Tom now uses two Fender '65 Twin Reverb Amps for clean and two VOX AC30H2 Amps for distortion.^{[citation needed]}

Tom has started using a synth and oscillator rig for live shows, during the Angels and Airwaves LOVE Tour. His synth rig, along with his guitar effects rig, is now built into a custom tower rack system, which stands by him on stage. Tom also now uses this same system for Blink-182, and plays/samples most of the synths and effects for their songs live.^{[citation needed]}

His vocal setup consists of blue mics – he used the blue kiwi on every album before 'Take Off Your Pants and Jacket'. Now he uses a blue bottle mic running into a Pro Tools set up, where he uses sound toys plugins. His vocals are heavily compressed with a LA-2A compressor, then run through a TC helicon. He runs his sound through Orange amplifiers and records with a snare drum in the room.^{[citation needed]}

Past and present equipment[link]

Personal life[link]

Tom DeLonge in 2008

Tom DeLonge married Jennifer Jenkins on May 26, 2001 at Coronado Island in the San Diego Bay.^[21] The band Jimmy Eat World performed at the reception, and DeLonge gave each of the groomsmen, including Mark Hoppus, silver yo-yos from Tiffany & Co.^[21] The couple have been friends since high school and began dating in 1996.^[22]

He currently lives with his wife Jennifer, daughter Ava Elizabeth (born July 15, 2002) and son Jonas Rocket (born on August 16, 2006), German Shepherd Grey, Labrador Retriever Chloe, and he recently got a new puppy as posted on the Angels And Airwaves Facebook page. He currently resides in Rancho Sante Fe, California. In January 2006, his wife launched a line of high-end children's furniture, whose pieces are available at stores such as Barneys New York, Bellini and F.A.O. Schwarz.^[22][23]

Non-musical endeavors[link]

Tom directed the music video for Taking Back Sunday's song "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)" in 2004.^[24] Tom made a cameo appearance as the Burger Jungle drive thru clerk in the movie Idle Hands. Blink-182 is featured in the music documentaries: Riding in Vans with Boys, The Urethra Chronicles, The Urethra Chronicles II: Harder Faster Faster Harder, and upcoming film The Blinkumentary. Tom also made a cameo appearance in the blockbuster film American Pie with his bandmates in Blink-182, acting in a scene while one of their songs, "Mutt", played in the background. Tom made a cameo appearance in The Simpsons with bandmates, while "All The Small Things" played in the background.

Since 2004, DeLonge has been active in politics, generally supporting the Democratic Party. In 2004 he campaigned for presidential candidate John Kerry and in 2008 he stated that he supported Barack Obama. Obama also used the song The Adventure while on the campaign trail.

DeLonge has created his own website called Modlife; the site allows bands and their fans to meet up and interact with each other. The artists can also choose whether to have paid subscriptions for certain items. In 2001, DeLonge started Atticus Clothing and Macbeth Footwear with fellow Blink-182 band member Mark Hoppus. However, after Hoppus sold his shares in both companies after the hiatus of Blink-182, Tom sold his shares in Atticus Clothing and is currently the sole owner of Macbeth Footwear. Macbeth Footwear has a separate line with vegan shoes.

In 2011, DeLonge helped launch two new entities. The first was called "Strange Times"—a website dedicated to highlighting reports of UFO activity and the latest news in theories.^[25] Also in 2011, and after being diagnosed and receiving treatment for his own cancer, DeLonge formed a breast cancer awareness foundation called "Boomer Loves Boobies" that helps raise funds for the Keep A Breast Foundation. The title of this foundation was derived from the character he played in Blink-182's "First Date" music video.^[26]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Angels & Airwaves, Tom's biography
• Tom DeLonge on Twitter
• Tom DeLonge's Facebook page

Larry King
King in September 2010
Born	Lawrence Harvey Zeiger (1933-11-19) November 19, 1933 (age 78) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Television/Radio personality
Years active	1957–present
Religion	Judaism
Spouse	Freda Miller (1952-1953; annulled) Annette Kaye (1961; divorced) Alene Akins (1961-1963; divorced) Mickey Stuphin (1963-1967; divorced) Alene Akins (1967-1972; divorced) Sharon Lepore (1976-1983; divorced) Julie Alexander (1989-1992; divorced) Shawn Southwick (1997–present)

Larry King (born November 19, 1933) is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards. He began as a local Florida journalist and radio interviewer in the 1950s and 1960s and became prominent as an all-night national radio broadcaster starting in 1978. From 1985-2010, he hosted the nightly interview TV program Larry King Live on CNN.

Early life[link]

King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York City, to an Austrian immigrant Edward Zeiger, a restaurant owner and defense plant worker, and his wife Jennie Gitlitz, a garment worker, who emigrated from Belarus.^[1][2][3] King grew up in a religiously observant Jewish home,^[4] but in adulthood became an agnostic.^[5]

King's father died at 44 of heart disease,^[6] and his mother had to go on welfare to support her two sons. His father's death greatly affected King, and he lost interest in school. After graduating from high school, he worked to help support his mother. From an early age, however, he had wanted to go into radio.^[7] King is a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Career[link]

Miami radio and television[link]

A CBS staff announcer, whom King met by chance, told him to go to Florida, a growing media market where openings still existed for inexperienced broadcasters. King rode a train to Miami. After initial setbacks, King persisted and got his first job in radio. The manager of a small station, WAHR (now WMBM) in Miami Beach, hired him to clean up and perform miscellaneous tasks.^[8] When one of their announcers quit, they put King on the air. His first broadcast was on May 1, 1957, when he worked as the disc jockey from 9 a.m. to noon.^[9] He also did two afternoon newscasts and a sportscast. He was paid $55 a week. He acquired the name Larry King when the general manager Marshall Simmonds said that Zeiger was too ethnic and difficult to remember, so Larry chose the surname King, which he got from an ad in The Miami Herald for King's Wholesale Liquor, minutes before air.^[10] He started interviewing on a midmorning show for WIOD, at Pumpernik's Restaurant in Miami Beach.^[11] He would interview anyone who walked in. His first interview was with a waiter at the restaurant.^[12] Two days later, singer Bobby Darin, in Miami for a concert later that day, walked into Pumpernik's as a result of coming across King's show on his radio; Darin became King's first celebrity interview guest.^[13]

His Miami radio show launched him to local stardom. A few years later, in May 1960, he hosted Miami Undercover, airing Sunday nights at 11:30 p.m. on WPST-TV Channel 10 (now WPLG).^[14] On the show, he moderated debates on important issues of the time. King credits his success on local TV to the assistance of another showbiz legend, comedian Jackie Gleason, whose national TV variety show was being filmed in Miami Beach during this period. "That show really took off because Gleason came to Miami," King said in a 1996 interview he gave when inducted into the Broadcasters' Hall of Fame. "He did that show and stayed all night with me. We stayed till five in the morning. He didn't like the set, so we broke into the general manager's office and changed the set. Gleason changed the set, he changed the lighting, and he became like a mentor of mine."^[15] Jackie Gleason was instrumental in getting Larry a hard-to-get on air interview with Frank Sinatra during this time.

During this period, WIOD gave King further exposure as a color commentator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, during their 1970 season and most of their 1971 season.^[16] However, he was dismissed by both WIOD and television station WTVJ as a late-night radio host and sports commentator as of December 20, 1971, when he was arrested after being accused of grand larceny by a former business partner.^[17] Other staffers covered the Dolphins' games into their 24–3 loss to Dallas in Super Bowl VI. King also lost his weekly column at the Miami Beach Sun newspaper. The charges were dropped on March 10, 1972, and King spent the next several years in reviving his career, including a stint as the color announcer in Louisiana for the Shreveport Steamer of the World Football League in 1974–75 on KWKH. Eventually, King was rehired by WIOD in Miami. For several years during the 1970s in South Florida, he hosted a sports talk-show called "Sports-a-la-King" that featured guests and callers.

National radio[link]

Interviewing Vladimir Putin

In 1978, he went national, inheriting the nightly talk show slot on the Mutual Broadcasting System, broadcast coast-to-coast, that had been "Long John" Nebel's until his death, and had been pioneered by Herb Jepko.^[18] One reason King got the Mutual job is that he had once been an announcer at WGMA-AM in Hollywood, Florida, which was then owned by C. Edward Little. Little went on to become president of Mutual and was the one who hired King when Nebel died. King's Mutual show developed a devoted audience.^{[citation needed]}

It was broadcast live Monday through Friday from midnight to 5:30 a.m. Eastern Time. King would interview a guest for the first 90 minutes, with callers asking questions that continued the interview for another 90 minutes. At 3 a.m., he would allow callers to discuss any topic they pleased with him, until the end of the program, when he expressed his own political opinions. That segment was called "Open Phone America". Some of the regular callers used the pseudonyms "The Portland Laugher", "The Miami Derelict", "The Todd Cruz Caller", "The Scandal Scooper", "Mr. Radio" and "The Water Is Warm Caller". "Mr. Radio" made over 200 calls to King during Open Phone America. The show was successful, starting with relatively few affiliates and eventually growing to more than 500. It ran until 1994.^{[citation needed]}

For its final year, the show was moved to afternoons, but, because most talk radio stations at the time had an established policy of local origination in the time-slot (3 to 6 p.m. Eastern Time) that Mutual offered the show, a very low percentage of King's overnight affiliates agreed to carry his daytime show and it was unable to generate the same audience size.^{[citation needed]} The afternoon show was eventually given to David Brenner and radio affiliates were given the option of carrying the audio of King's new CNN evening television program. The Westwood One radio simulcast of the CNN show continued until December 31, 2009.

CNN[link]

He started his Larry King Live CNN show in June 1985, hosting a broad range of guests from controversial figures of UFO conspiracy theories and alleged psychics,^[19] to prominent politicians and leading figures in the entertainment industry, often doing their first or only interview on breaking news stories on his show.

King during a recording of his Larry King Live program at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA in 2006

Unlike many interviewers, King has a direct, non-confrontational approach. His reputation for asking easy, open-ended questions has made him attractive to important figures who want to state their position while avoiding being challenged on contentious topics.^[20] His interview style is characteristically frank, but with occasional bursts of irreverence and humor. His approach attracts some guests who would not otherwise appear. King, who is known for his general lack of pre-interview preparation, once bragged that he never read the books of authors before they made their appearances on his program.

In a show dedicated to the surviving Beatles, King asked George Harrison's widow about the song "Something", which was written about George Harrison's first wife. He seemed surprised when she did not know very much about the song.

Throughout his career King has interviewed many of the leading figures of his time. CNN claimed during his final episode that he had performed 60,000 interviews in his career.

King also wrote a regular newspaper column in USA Today for almost 20 years, from shortly after that newspaper's origin in 1982 until September 2001.^[21] The column consisted of short "plugs, superlatives and dropped names" but was dropped when the newspaper redesigned its "Life" section.^[22] The column was resurrected in blog form in November 2008^[23] and on Twitter in April 2009.^[24]

Departure[link]

On June 29, 2010, King announced that after 25 years, he would be stepping down from his nightly job hosting Larry King Live. However, he stated that he would remain with CNN to host occasional specials.^[25] The announcement came in the wake of speculation that CNN had approached Piers Morgan, the British television personality and journalist, as King's primetime replacement,^[26] which was confirmed in September.^[27][28]

The final edition of Larry King Live aired on December 16, 2010.^[29] The show concluded with his last thoughts and a thank you to his audience for watching and supporting him over the years.^[30]

On February 17, 2012 CNN announced that he would no longer host specials.^[31]

Other ventures[link]

King was the moderator of the 6th KAZENERGY Eurasian Forum in Astana, Kazakhstan, an annual forum for Kazakhstan's energy sector occurring in October 2011.^[32][33][34]

Charitable works[link]

As a result of heart attacks, he established the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, an organization to which David Letterman, through his American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming, has also contributed. King gave $1 million to George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs for scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.^{[citation needed]} King serves as a member of the Board of Directors on the Police Athletic League of New York City, a nonprofit youth development agency serving inner-city children and teenagers.^{[citation needed]}

On September 3, 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, King aired "How You Can Help", a three-hour special designed to provide a forum and information clearinghouse for viewers to understand and join nationwide and global relief efforts. On January 18, 2010, in the wake the 2010 Haiti earthquake, King aired "Haiti: How You Can Help", a special two-hour edition designed to show viewers how to take action and be a part of the global outreach. Following the Deepwater Horizon explosion, King aired "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help", a special two-hour edition designed to show viewers how to take action in the clean-up efforts on the Gulf Coast.

On August 30, 2010, King served as the host of Chabad's 30th annual "To Life" telethon, in Los Angeles.

Controversial positions[link]

On September 10, 1990, while on The Joan Rivers Show, Rivers asked King which contestant in the Miss America pageant was "the ugliest". King responded, "Miss Pennsylvania. She was one of the 10 finalists and she did a great ventriloquist bit [...] The dummy was prettier."^[35] King was a judge for the September 8, 1990 pageant. King later sent Miss Pennsylvania, Marla Wynne, a dozen long-stemmed roses and a telegram apologizing for saying she was the ugliest contestant in the pageant that year.^[36]

In 1997, King was one of 34 celebrities to sign an open letter to then-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, published as a newspaper advertisement in the International Herald Tribune, which protested the treatment of Scientologists in Germany, comparing it to the Nazis' oppression of Jews in the 1930s.^[37] Other signatories included Dustin Hoffman and Goldie Hawn.^[37]

Personal life[link]

King has been married eight times, to seven different women.^[38] He married high-school sweetheart Freda Miller in 1951 at age 18.^[39] The union ended the following year at the behest of their parents, who reportedly had the marriage annulled.^[39] King was later briefly married to Annette Kaye^[39] who gave birth to his son, Larry Jr., in November 1961. King did not meet Larry Jr. until the son was in his thirties.^[40] Larry Jr. and his wife, Shannon, have three children.^[38]

In 1961, King married his third wife, Alene Akins, a Playboy bunny at one of the magazine's eponymous nightclubs. The couple had son Andy in 1962, and divorced the following year.^[39] In 1963, King married his fourth wife, Mary Francis "Mickey" Stuphin, who divorced King.^[39] He remarried Akins, with whom he had a second child, Chaia, in 1969.^[39] The couple divorced a second time in 1972.^[39] In 1997, Dove Books published a book written by King and Chaia, Daddy Day, Daughter Day. Aimed at young children, it tells each of their accounts of his divorce from Akins.

On September 25, 1976, King married his fifth wife, math teacher and production assistant Sharon Lepore. The couple divorced in 1983.^[41]

King met businesswoman Julie Alexander in summer 1989, and proposed to her on the couple's first date, on August 1, 1989.^[42] Alexander became King's sixth wife on October 7, 1989, when the two were married in Washington, D.C.^[43] The couple lived in different cities, however, with Alexander in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and King in Washington, D.C., where he worked. The couple separated in 1990 and divorced in 1992.^[43] He became engaged to actress Deanna Lund in 1995, after five weeks of dating, but they never married.^[44]

He married his seventh wife, Shawn Southwick, born in 1959^[45][46] as Shawn Oro Engemann,^[45] a former singer and TV host,^[47] in King's Los Angeles, California, hospital room three days before King underwent heart surgery to clear a clogged blood vessel.^[46] The couple have two children: Chance, born March 1999,^{[citation needed]} and Cannon, born May 2000.^{[citation needed]} He is stepfather to Danny Southwick.^{[citation needed]} On King and Southwick's 10th anniversary in September 2007, Southwick boasted she was "the only [wife] to have lasted into the two digits".^[47] On April 14, 2010, both Larry and Shawn King filed for divorce.^[46][48] but have since stopped the proceedings, claiming "We love our children, we love each other, we love being a family. That is all that matters to us".^[49]

On February 24, 1987, King suffered a major heart attack and then had quintuple-bypass surgery.^{[citation needed]} Since then, King has written two books about living with heart disease. Mr. King, You're Having a Heart Attack: How a Heart Attack and Bypass Surgery Changed My Life (1989, ISBN 0-440-50039-7) was written with New York's Newsday science editor B. D. Colen. Taking On Heart Disease: Famous Personalities Recall How They Triumphed over the Nation's #1 Killer and How You Can, Too (2004, ISBN 1-57954-820-2) features the experience of various celebrities with cardiovascular disease including Peggy Fleming and Regis Philbin.

In July 2009, King appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, where he told host O'Brien about his wishes to be cryonically preserved upon death,^[50] as he had revealed in his book My Remarkable Journey.^[51] In December 2011, preceding a CNN Special on the topic, the Kings had a special dinner with friends Conan O'Brien, Tyra Banks, Shaquille O'Neal, Seth MacFarlane, Jack Dorsey, Quincy Jones and Russell Brand where his intent to do so was reiterated, among other topics that were discussed.^[52]

On February 12, 2010, Larry King revealed that he had undergone surgery five weeks earlier to place stents in his coronary artery to remove plaque from his heart. During the segment on Larry King Live which discussed Bill Clinton's similar procedure, King said he was "feeling great" and had been in hospital for just one day.^{[citation needed]}

Awards[link]

King has received many broadcasting awards. He won the Peabody Award for Excellence in broadcasting for both his radio (1982) and television (1992) shows. He has also won 10 CableACE awards for Best Interviewer and for Best Talk Show Series.

In 1989, King was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame,^{[citation needed]} and in 1996 to the Broadcasters' Hall of Fame.^[7] In 2002, the industry magazine Talkers named King both the fourth-greatest radio talk show host of all time and the top television talk show host of all time.^[53]

in June 1998, King received an Honorary Degree from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, for his life achievements.

King was given the Golden Mike Award for Lifetime Achievement in January 2009, by the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California.

King is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills. He is also a recipient of the President's Award honoring his impact on media from the Los Angeles Press Club in 2006.

King is the first recipient of the Arizona State University Hugh Downs Award for Communication Excellence,^[54] presented April 11, 2007, via satellite by Downs himself.^[55] Downs sported red suspenders for the event and turned the tables on King by asking "very tough questions" about King's best, worst and most influential interviews during King's 50 years in broadcasting.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]