Elizabeth Taylor Married Her Eighth Husband, a Construction Worker, 34 Years Ago Today: The Story of a Clinic Romance and Enduring Affection

Exactly 34 years ago, on October 6, 1991, the legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor married blue-collar construction worker Larry Fortensky at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. This marked the global icon’s eighth and final walk down the aisle. Their wildly unlikely romance was a tabloid sensation, and though the marriage ended in divorce, it concluded with mutual, lasting affection rather than scandal.

Sparks at Betty Ford

Their fatefully different worlds collided in 1988 behind the closed doors of the Betty Ford Clinic. The global icon, then 56, was there for her second time. Larry was a 36-year-old construction worker with a troubled past, checking in after crashing a truck while driving under the influence. His stay was covered by his Teamsters Union Insurance.

Larry, whom Elizabeth later nicknamed “Larry the Lion,” confessed he recognized her but couldn’t recall seeing any of her films. As the six weeks of rehab progressed, their connection deepened. Larry admitted he found her beautiful and was drawn to the “real woman” who appeared without the typical trappings of movie stardom. He became fiercely protective of her, bristling at the clinic’s rigorous methods.

Elizabeth, captivated by his simplicity, was drawn to a man utterly untouched by fame. Larry was a twice-divorced high school dropout from a working-class background who had never even been on an airplane.

Hidden Love and the Limousine in the Mud

Larry claimed their relationship didn’t turn romantic until after they left Betty Ford, though not everyone, including his own sister, believed him. Regardless, the spark had ignited. Larry was recovering from his crash and didn’t have a car, so the Hollywood star would dispatch a limousine to pick him up from his remote home. Larry recalled that the luxurious car would often get stuck in the mud.

While their discrete romance unfolded, his family had no idea he was dating the superstar. Larry’s sister, Donna, overheard him call someone “honey,” but Larry, typically guarded, told her to mind her business when she pressed him.

The romance escalated at Christmas 1988, when the actress invited Larry to her home—the kind of property he had only ever seen while working on construction sites. “I went for a few days and never left,” he revealed. He found himself welcomed into another universe, complete with a household staff, high-end security, and a real Van Gogh hanging on the wall.

The Star-Studded Wedding and the Parachuting Paparazzo

Thirty-four years ago today, the wedding unfolded with quintessential Hollywood extravagance. More than 200 celebrity guests gathered at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. The ceremony took place beneath a white gazebo. Carole Bayer Sager served as the maid of honor, and celebrity hairstylist Jose Eber was Larry’s best man.

The event was marked by chaos: Larry recalled barely hearing their vows over the sound of paparazzi helicopters. Security was forced to apprehend one photographer who parachuted onto the property. At the reception, Larry remembered seeing Michael Jackson dancing all night with a small child under his arm. While Elizabeth was surrounded by Hollywood royalty—including Liza Minnelli, Eddie Murphy, and Nancy Reagan—Larry kept his guest list humble, inviting only his siblings.

Harleys, Snow Angels, and Enduring Kindness

Larry later shared private memories, including a snapshot of Elizabeth in Switzerland making a snow angel in 1992. “She had a childishness about her. She was 20 years older than me but I never felt she was old,” he recalled.

Another favorite memory was riding a Harley—a gift from Elizabeth—along the Pacific Coast Highway. To remain incognito, Elizabeth would wear a helmet, and they would blend in at biker bars, stopping for a burger and a beer. Larry also laughed about the pet parrot, Alvin, that Elizabeth trained to call out “Larry, Larry” in her exact voice.

Though Elizabeth once gifted him a BMW for his birthday, Larry never tried to match her extravagance, once giving her chocolate-covered roses and another time a Shih-tzu named Sugar.

Larry was adamant he never wanted to be a kept man and insisted on continuing his construction work. Though he scoffed at the idea of the actress cooking, he noted she’d get up early to eat breakfast with him before he left for work, then go back to bed. She ensured his lunch was prepared by a private chef and delivered to his work site, much to the amusement of his coworkers. In the evenings, they watched movies together, never one of hers.

The Break and The Final Goodbye

The golden years slowly fractured. At Elizabeth’s insistence, Larry quit construction to accompany her on trips, but this stifled his identity. As her health declined, their intimacy waned, and Larry moved out of their shared bedroom—a change his sister called “the beginning of the end.” Larry also grew exhausted by the constant surveillance: “Everywhere we went there were cameras. I never got used to it.”

In 1996, Elizabeth initiated the divorce, explaining they were both miserable and she didn’t want the relationship to turn “ugly.” Larry returned to his ordinary life, now with over a million dollars in his name.

Despite a devastating accident in 1999 that left him unable to work and a series of bad investments that depleted his savings, he and Elizabeth remained close, speaking several times a month. When she heard he was struggling, she sent him money and promised to continue the payments until her death or until she ran out of funds. Tragically, the financial stress led to fights with his own family, causing him to cut off several relatives.

Their final conversation occurred the day before Elizabeth went to the hospital for the last time. Her voice was strained due to fluid in her lungs, but she insisted everything would be alright. Larry never spoke to her again; he learned of her death on March 23, 2011, while watching television. Later, he received word that she had left him a large sum of money in her will as a final gesture.

“I love her, I always will. And I know she loved me, too,” Larry told the Daily Mail. Larry died in 2016 at age 64, concluding the chapter on one of Hollywood’s most improbable and tender love stories.