The Girl Who Later Became a Famous Actress Married Her Eighth Husband on This Day 34 Years Ago
An international actress and a construction worker exchanged vows in a star-studded wedding that astonished the entertainment industry exactly thirty-four years ago.
This iconic actress tied the knot for the eighth and final time on October 6, 1991, at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch with blue-collar husband Larry Fortensky. Although their marriage didn’t endure, it ended in lasting affection rather than scandal. Their unexpected romance became the subject of tabloid curiosity.
Behind the walls of the clinic, sparks fly.
In 1988, destiny stepped in behind the locked doors of the Betty Ford Clinic. The 56-year-old global legend was making her second appearance.
A sun-drenched construction worker with a rough history, he was 36 years old. He had crashed a truck before arriving to the facility and had been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence. The cost of his stay was covered by the Teamsters Union Insurance.
Later on, she would refer to him as “Larry the Lion.” The Daily Mail quoted Larry as saying, “I knew who she was, of course, but I can’t tell you that I remember watching any of her films.”
Over the next few weeks, their bond became clear. When the clinic’s strict rehabilitation techniques drove her to the limit, he became extremely protective and irate. Nevertheless, throughout the six weeks they were enrolled, their emotional connection developed into something neither of them had anticipated.
She was gorgeous, he acknowledged, and he wasn’t “bad-looking” either. The individual he met “was the real woman with none of that stuff that normally goes on around a movie star,” he added. We bonded quickly.
She was attracted to his simplicity and completely enthralled with a man who was unencumbered by the glitz and glamour of celebrity.
At the time, he was a Stanton, California, high school dropout who had been divorced twice, was from a working-class family, and led such a routine existence that he had never taken a flight.
A Limo in the Mud and a Secret Love
Larry claims that it wasn’t until they parted ways with Betty Ford that they started dating. However, not even his own sister, Donna, believed that claim.
Regardless, the spark had ignited, and it exploded while Larry was still recuperating from the collision that had sent him to treatment and left him without a vehicle.
In order to fetch him up from his house, the Hollywood actress would dispatch a limo driver. However, the limo would frequently get stuck in the mud because Larry’s residence was so far away.
Additionally, his own family was unaware that he was even seeing her during the course of their covert romance.
During one visit, Donna remembered hearing Larry refer to someone as “honey.” She asked him directly if he was seeing the superstar after sensing something, but Larry, who is always cautious, urged her to keep her mouth shut.
Larry had only ever seen the actress’s home from the outside, usually when working on construction projects, until Christmas 1988, when she invited him inside. “I went for a few days and never left,” he said himself.
Every area was guarded by expert security, a full housekeeping staff, and an actual Van Gogh hanging on the wall. Larry had been invited to enter this other universe.
Helicopters, a Parachute Intruder, and Photographers
Today marks the exact 34th anniversary of the decade’s most extravagant wedding in Hollywood history. It was exactly what the people had anticipated from a world-renowned figure.
The couple’s “I do” ceremony was witnessed by around 200 celebrities under a white gazebo located on the King of Pop’s Neverland Ranch in the gorgeous Santa Ynez Valley of California.
Celebrity hairstylist Jose Eber was Larry’s best man, and the bride’s close friend Carole Bayer Sager stood next to her as maid of honor. However, anarchy ruled from above even amid the pomp.
Larry claimed that the helicopter paparazzi hovering over the estate made it difficult for him to recall their vows. Security was busy. Before taking a single picture, one photographer was apprehended after parachuting onto the site.
It was no less weird inside the reception. “Michael Jackson spent the night on the dance floor with a small black kid under his arm,” Larry said. “She cherished Michael. The rumors of child maltreatment were untrue to her. I wasn’t entirely certain.
The list of guests included Liza Minnelli, Nancy Reagan, Gregory Peck, Eddie Murphy, and other members of Hollywood’s elite.
As Elizabeth Taylor, the actress, surrounded herself with celebrities, Larry remained modest and only his siblings were invited to see the event that would become a tabloid classic.
A Cheeky Bird, Snow Angels, and Secret Burgers
Larry revealed a personal cache of recollections in his chat with the Daily Mail. One of the mementos was a 1992 photo of Elizabeth resting in the snow taken in Switzerland.
He had a clear memory of the incident. She abruptly decided she wanted to play outside while they were still in bed. She threw on a coat without thinking, stepped out into the cold, fell into the snow, and then laughed as she made a snow angel with her arms.
“My favorite photo is that one. “I keep it next to my bed,” he added. “I remember Elizabeth that way. There was a childlike quality to her. Even though she was twenty years my senior, I never thought she was elderly.
More recollections poured out. She had given him a Harley for their second Christmas together, and he loved riding it along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Elizabeth would wear a helmet to keep herself hidden, and they would fit in with the crowd when they stopped for burgers at biker bars.
“People would act as though they were unaware of her identity. Elizabeth cherished that. She enjoyed beer and burgers. Larry said, “She was as grounded as she could be for someone who had been a star since she was a child.”
Alvin was the name of her pet parrot as well. The bird was trained to yell, “Larry, Larry.” Larry didn’t find it funny. She had the same sound as that [expletive] bird. He also acknowledged that he would be running around the house.
Larry never made an effort to outdo her when it came to giving gifts. He was more aware. On one of his birthdays, she got him a BMW. In return, he sent her a dog and chocolate-covered roses one Christmas. “I got her a Shih-tzu named Sugar for her birthday when we traveled to England. Larry revealed, “She adored that dog.”
It might have appeared to be a fantasy from the outside. Larry, however, maintained that he had no desire to be a kept man. He refused to rely on her wealth and kept working despite being married to one of the most well-known women in the world.
Like everyone else, he rose early and went to work. However, she accompanied him to breakfast. He sneered, “Don’t be crazy,” when asked if the actress prepared their meal. “Elizabeth never prepared food. After I departed, she would return to her bed.
She nevertheless saw to it that he was cared for. His coworkers made fun of him for having a private chef make and deliver his lunch to the workplace.
Larry came home to join her for dinner after his shift. Afterwards, they would sit down to watch movies together, but never one of hers.
Cracks Beneath the Glamor
After a few golden years together, Larry and Elizabeth’s happiness gradually started to crumble under the strain of their disagreements.
Larry quit his construction job at her persuasion and started traveling with her. However, it left a man feeling disoriented and constrained who took pride in his identity and career.
Their connection diminished as Elizabeth’s health deteriorated. Larry left the bedroom they shared. Later, according to his sister Donna, that was “the beginning of the end.”
The shift in habit wasn’t the only thing. Larry, too, had become tired of the oppressive scrutiny that followed them all the time.
“There were cameras wherever we went. Elizabeth claimed she never knew when she was being photographed, therefore she would always wear lipstick. It was difficult for me,” he admitted.
“Those cameras all over the place weren’t my thing. Elizabeth was accustomed to it. I was never accustomed to it.
A Letter of Love and a Million Dollars
The end ultimately arrived in 1996. Since they were both unhappy and she didn’t want to watch the relationship turn ugly, Elizabeth filed for a divorce.
After being split up, Larry resumed his regular routine, but this time he had more than a million bucks in his possession. Peace, however, did not last long.
Larry had a terrible injury in 1999 that prevented him from working. He accumulated thousands of dollars in medical costs, and his remaining resources were eroded by a string of bad real estate ventures.
He and Elizabeth continued to communicate, speaking many times a month, in spite of everything. She was worried about his health and financial situation when she wrote him a letter after hearing about his accident. Until she died or until her funds ran out, she vowed to send him money each month.
Larry grudgingly accepted the assistance. She sent more after Donna informed Elizabeth that he was in danger of losing his house. However, it was still insufficient. Later on, the house was repossessed.
Unfortunately, in Larry’s relationships, money turned into poison. His own siblings got into arguments about money. He eventually cut off contact with his sister Linda for speaking to the National Enquirer. He also broke off contact with his daughter Julie, who attempted to obtain money following his injury.
The Last Farewell
Even though their marriage was over, Elizabeth and Larry still had a strong bond, which added to the poignancy and eerieness of their final exchange.
The day before Elizabeth’s hospitalization, they made their last phone call. The congestion in her lungs from her protracted fight with heart disease made her voice sound strange. She assured him that everything would be OK despite her condition.
She would never hear from Larry again. On March 23, 2011, she passed away. Days later, while watching television rather of receiving a call, he found out about it. Her age was seventy-nine.
“I was astonished. He remarked, “I had no doubt that she would be able to return home and that I would speak with her again.”
After a while, documents from her attorneys arrived. There was a last act of love inside. In her testament, Elizabeth Taylor had left him a substantial amount of money. Nevertheless, as was to be expected, her children inherited the most of her wealth.
“I shall always love her. He told the Daily Mail, “And I know she loved me too.” Larry passed away in 2016 at the age of 64, bringing an end to one of Hollywood’s most improbable and touching love stories.
