Famed broadcaster Larry King has been through a near-fatal stroke, heart surgery for a stent, and an eighth divorce.
But perhaps the cruelest blow came just this summer, when two of his five children died within weeks of each other.
Andy King, 65, died on July 28, and Chaia King died about three weeks later, on Aug. 20, at age 51.
“It is with sadness and a father’s broken heart that I confirm the recent loss of two of my children, Andy King, and Chaia King,” he said in a statement posted to social media Saturday. “Both of them were good and kind souls and they will be greatly missed.”
Reports of their death had leaked, but this was the first time King had publicly addressed the loss and revealed their causes of death.
“Andy passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack on July 28th, and Chaia passed on August 20th, only a short time after having been diagnosed with lung cancer,” King said. “Losing them feels so out of order. No parent should have to bury a child.”
King had adopted Andy while married to his mother, Alene Akins, who he wed in 1961 and then again in 1967 after splitting briefly in 1963. During their second marriage, Akins had Chaia King, according to “Today.”
In 1997, King and Chaia recounted their experiences with the divorce in a children’s book they co-wrote, “Daddy Day, Daughter Day” in 1997, according to CNN.
Alene Akins died in 2017.
Larry King is the host of “Larry King Now” on Ora TV, and from 1985 to 2010 he hosted “Larry King Live” on CNN.
King ended his missive with a request for space to grieve.
“My family and I thank you for your outpouring of kind sentiments and well wishes,” he wrote. “In this moment, we need a little time and privacy to heal. I thank you for respecting that.”
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