Larry Fortensky (January 17, 1952 – July 7, 2016)Elizabeth Taylor Ex Larry Fortensky Dies—Sister Reveals Sad Final Days
/ref> was an American

construction worker A construction worker is a person employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. Definitions By some definitions, construction workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers ...

known for being the last husband of actress

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

. They were married in 1991 at

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Neverland Ranch Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch"Neverland Never More"
, by William Etling (author ...

and divorced five years later.

Early life

Fortensky, the eldest of seven children, was born in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

on January 17, 1952, and moved downstate to Stanton in 1960. He dropped out of Pacifica High School in nearby Garden Grove during 10th grade. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1972 and discharged three months later. Fortensky married the former Priscilla Joan Torres in 1972. They had a daughter, Julie, and divorced in 1974. In 1978 he married lab technician Karin McNeal and they divorced in 1984.

Substance addiction and marriage to Elizabeth Taylor

In 1987, he was convicted for

driving while intoxicated Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether recreational or ...

. Police found him in a

San Clemente, California San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the ...

parking lot "very intoxicated" and in possession of

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

. Using

Teamster A teamster in American English is a truck driver; a person who drives teams of draft animals; or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union. In some places, a teamster was called a carter, the name referring to the ...

medical insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among m ...

from his construction job, he checked himself into the

Betty Ford Center The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is an addiction treatment and advocacy organization that was created in 2014 with the merger of the Minnesota-based Hazelden Foundation and the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in the United State ...

in 1988, where he met

. At the time he was living in a small house in Stanton. Taylor and Fortensky were married on October 6, 1991, at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The wedding, which cost between $1.5 and $2 million, was attended by 160 guests and presided over by

Marianne Williamson Marianne Deborah Williamson (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, speaker, and political activist. She began her professional career as a spiritual leader of the Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan. Williamson has written s ...

. It was a high-profile event with paparazzi helicopters buzzing overhead and a guest list that included

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

, and

Nancy Reagan Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress who was the first lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born in ...

, as well as

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II e ...

Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted a late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Comi ...

Pia Zadora Pia Zadora (born Pia Alfreda Schipani; May 4, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She debuted as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film ''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' (1964). She came to national attention i ...

, George Hamilton,

Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway theatre, Broadway. From 1962 to 1986, G ...

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, and

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor and musician. Considered one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin has received a Golden Globe Award nomination and other accolades. In 200 ...

. Taylor's $25,000 dress was a gift from

Valentino Valentino may refer to People * Valentino (surname), including a list of people with the name * Valentino (given name), including a list of people with the name Mononymous persons * Valentino (fashion designer) (born Valentino Clemente Ludovic ...

. She was escorted by Michael Jackson and her eldest son Michael Wilding Jr. Their toast was with

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

. Fortensky's best man was Taylor's hairdresser José Eber. Fortensky's family arrived in their own cars rather than limousines. The couple donated money to AIDS charities from selling wedding photos. In August 1996, Fortensky was arrested for drug use after police in

Hemet, California Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto, California, San Jacinto. The population w ...

, found him in an illegally parked luxury motor home with no license plates with a woman he identified as his live-in maid. Fortensky, whose black

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

was parked by the home's front door, refused to allow police to search the motor home, but he was arrested for being under the influence of drugs at the time. Fortensky was reported to have a

prenuptial agreement A prenuptial agreement, antenuptial agreement, or premarital agreement (commonly referred to as a prenup), is a written contract entered into by a couple before marriage or a civil union that enables them to select and control many of the legal ...

in which he would receive $1 million (with no additional support) if the marriage lasted five years. The couple separated after five years in 1996, with Fortensky hiring New York divorce attorney

Raoul Felder Raoul Lionel Felder (born in Brooklyn, New York, May 13, 1939) is an American divorce lawyer and matrimonial attorney. Felder has written eight books and has published numerous articles related to matrimonial law, politics and social issues. Felde ...

. The couple was divorced on October 31, 1996.

Post-divorce

Fortensky fell down a flight of stairs at his home in

San Juan Capistrano, California San Juan Capistrano (also known colloquially as San Juan or SJC) is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 35,253 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. Named for Saint John of Capistrano, San Ju ...

on January 28, 1999, and was hospitalized for two months during which he was in a coma for six weeks. He suffered short-term memory loss as a result of the fall. He was reported to have been drunk at the time, mourning the death of a prized pet. He bought a three-bedroom house in

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

, in 2002 with money from the divorce settlement. In 2009, Taylor reportedly gave him $50,000 to pay the $5,800 monthly mortgage payment and keep the house out of foreclosure. Fortensky's last phone call with Taylor was a day before she entered the hospital in February 2011. She died in March 2011 and left Fortensky $825,000 in her will.

Death

Fortensky died from skin cancer surgery complications on July 7, 2016, after 65 days in a coma.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortensky, Larry 1952 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Protestants 21st-century Protestants American people of Canadian descent American people of Russian descent Construction trades workers Military personnel from California People from Garden Grove, California People from Hemet, California People from Menifee, California People from San Juan Capistrano, California People from Stanton, California People from Stockton, California People from Temecula, California United States Army soldiers