American construction worker Larry Fortensky worked there. He was Elizabeth Taylor’s sixth and final husband on the silver screen. They were wed from October 1991 until October 1996, a period of five years. Fortensky, a California native, was his parents’ eldest child. In the tenth grade, he dropped out of school and joined the US military. But he was released from the hospital after just three months. He started working as a construction worker when he got home, and between 1972 and 1984, he wed and divorced two different women. Fortensky fought with booze and drugs all of his life. He checked himself into the Betty Ford Center in 1988 when he met Taylor, who was 20 years older than him. It wasn’t long before they started dating. She frequently brought gifts to his workplace. Their opulent ($1.5–$2 million) wedding was a grandiose affair. Fortensky claims that following their divorce, they remained in touch up to Taylor’s passing in March 2011. In July 2016, five years after Fortensky’s death, He detailed his connection with Taylor before, during, and after their marriage in a number of interviews before his passing.
Early Childhood & Life
Harold “Pete” Fortensky and Dorothy Fortensky welcomed a son named Larry into the world on January 17, 1952, in Stanton, California. He had two sisters named Donna and Linda among his six younger siblings. He was a student at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California, but left after his sophomore year. He subsequently enlisted in the US Army in 1972, but three months later received his discharge papers.
He began working as a construction worker soon after leaving the Army. He also wed Priscilla Joan Torres, his first wife, in 1972. Together, they had a daughter they called Julie. In the end, the couple got a divorce in 1974. Karin McNeal, Fortensky’s second wife, and he were wed in 1976 and divorced in 1984. There was no offspring from this union.
Fortensky battled alcohol and drug addiction all of his life. He was convicted of driving under the influence in 1987 after San Clemente, California police caught him in a parking lot, heavily intoxicated, and in possession of marijuana.
Involvement with Elizabeth Taylor
Fortensky eventually came to terms with his drinking issue. He entered the renowned Betty Ford Institute in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1988 and met Taylor there because she had her own drug use problems. He was residing in a modest Stanton home at the time.
When they first started dating, Taylor was “funny and kind,” in his memory. Taylor was still stunning and dazzling at the age of 56. Fortensky wasn’t unattractive for a 36-year-old man. An immediate physical attraction developed. She frequently left “goodies” at his office for him after they both left the rehab facility. The connection was intense and committed. In the following few years, it progressed to the point where they were prepared to tie the knot.
They both seemed unconcerned about their significant age gap. Fortensky wed Taylor on October 6, 1991, at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, in a grand ceremony. Franco Zeffirelli, Arsenio Hall, Pia Zadora, George Hamilton, Merv Griffin, Quincy Jones, Macaulay Culkin, Liza Minnelli, Eddie Murphy, and Nancy Reagan were among the 160 people that attended the wedding.
Taylor was escorted by Michael Jackson and her oldest child, Michael Wilding, Jr. Instead of arriving in limos, the entire Fortensky family arrived in their own automobiles. José Eber, Taylor’s hairstylist, served as Fortensky’s best man. The couple gave all the proceeds from the sale of their wedding images to charities that support people with AIDS.
Taylor and Fortensky drafted a prenuptial agreement before getting married. Fortensky was offered $1 million if they stayed together for five years of marriage. Within a month of their fifth wedding anniversary, on October 31, 1996, the couple finally filed for divorce. One of Fortensky’s sisters, Linda Untiet, claims that the divorce occurred because Fortensky no longer desired to be known as “Mr. Taylor.”
Life After Death
In the years that followed, Fortensky and Taylor stayed in touch and frequently spoke on the phone for extended periods of time. Fortensky had to be hospitalized on January 29, 1999, when he tumbled down a flight of stairs at his San Juan Capistrano, California, house. He spent the following six weeks in a coma and wouldn’t be allowed to leave the hospital until two months had passed. Fortensky would experience short-term memory loss as a result of the accident, which would last until his passing.
According to reports, Taylor granted him $50,000 for using the money he had originally gotten from the divorce settlement to pay the $5,800/month mortgage on the three-bedroom property he had purchased in Temecula, California, in 2002.
Taylor and Fortensky last spoke on the phone in 2011 the day before she was admitted to the hospital. On March 23, 2011, Taylor passed away, leaving him $800,000 in her estate. On July 7, 2016, he passed away from cancer.
Estimated Net Worth
One of the wealthiest and most well-known celebrities is Larry Fortensky. Our research of Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider revealed that Larry Fortensky has a net worth of $5 million.