Larry Johnson (born in
Albuquerque, New Mexico) is an American
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
and former employee of the
Alcor Life Extension Foundation
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, most often referred to as Alcor, is an American nonprofit, federally tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Alcor advocates for, researches, and performs cryonics, th ...
(Alcor), a
cryonics
Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...
company for whom he once served as a paramedic. He received notoriety with the release of the August 13, 2003 issue of ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...
''. ''Sports Illustrated'' sportswriter
Tom Verducci
Thomas Verducci (born October 23, 1960) is an American sportswriter who writes for ''Sports Illustrated'' and its online magazine SI.com. He writes primarily about baseball. He is also a reporter and commentator for Fox Major League Baseball and ...
, along with Johnson's input, published an article about “What Really Happened to
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...
?" Immediately following the ''Sports Illustrated'' article, Johnson agreed to an interview with
Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer (; born December 22, 1945) is an American television broadcast journalist known for anchoring major programs on two networks including '' ABC World News Tonight'', ''Good Morning America'', '' 20/20'', and ''Primetime'' newsmag ...
of
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...
.
Alcor has accused Johnson of engaging in profiteering and attempting to sensationalize his experiences at Alcor as a means of making money. In 2003, CNN correspondent Gary Tuchman noted: "Johnson certainly doesn't mind using his connections as an ex-employee to make a buck. Johnson has started a Web site, where for a so-called donation of at least $20, graphic photographs were displayed, photographs, he said, documenting the fate of Ted Williams. Johnson won't talk on camera about Ted Williams, but his attorney acknowledges ''Sports Illustrated'' was not told about his client's money making plans."
During the fall of 2003, while Director of Clinical Services for Alcor, Johnson did an interview in Cryonics Magazine.
On September 28, 2003, an article was published in the
Phoenix,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...
newspaper
East Valley Tribune
The ''East Valley Tribune'' is a newspaper concentrated on cities within the East Valley region of metropolitan Phoenix, including Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Queen Creek.
Formerly a daily newspaper, the ''Tribune'' resulted from th ...
with the headline "
Scottsdale company’s role in death probe.” This article reports that Larry Johnson speaks of a 1992 death of a North
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
man whose remains are frozen at Alcor. According to Johnson he has audio taped evidence that personally recorded, of an Alcor employee who may have hastened the death of one of their members. Johnson later stated that the police were not interested in pursuing an investigation. The nurse who pronounced the 1992 death has denied Johnson's claim that there was any hastening of death. The nurse's description of the events surrounding that death contradict Alcor's published case report. The nurse claims his patient died in the bedroom, while Alcor's case report and Larry Johnson's version of the story agree the patient died in a "makeshift operating room" in the garage. In October 2009, "Alcor's CEO at the time, (1992) Carlos Mondragon, told ABC News that the allegation that the patient's death was hastened was brought directly to him, and that his response was to cut Alcor's ties with the employee accused of administering the injection."
During the Fall of 2009, Johnson released a book called, FROZEN: My Journey into the World of Cryonics, Deception, and Death. This book has received heavy criticism from those working in the field of cryonics.
Alcor Litigation
Mr. Johnson retracted no specific allegations about Alcor in his statement associated with a legal settlement over his book. No judge, nor jury, has ruled on the veracity of the contents of the book. The NY court has ruled against Alcor's claims of conversion and exposure of trade secrets, and in May 2014, the case was dismissed in favor of the publisher and authors in
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
.
[https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=x2OO2wR6eRMOSIs8Z/JjmQ&system=prod]
See also
*
Cryonics
Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...
Wikipedia discusses cryonics
Further reading
Alcor director disputes Larry Johnsons claimsCryonics Magazine - Interview with Larry Johnson (Page 14)Missing: Samples of Ted Williams' DNA.Former Exec: Ted Williams' Corpse Beheaded.Ted Williams Frozen In Two Pieces.Ex-employee: Alcor threatened to dispose of Ted's body.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Larry
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American chief operating officers
People from Albuquerque, New Mexico