Losing a life partner or two could happen to anyone, but going through seven requires some effort. The vast majority of Americans \u201d\u201d about 97% \u201d\u201d wimp out and do not wed more than three times. As an octospouse, the 76-year-old [Larry] King is in rarefied company. Elizabeth Taylor has also hatched and dispatched eight unions. (Recent reports of a ninth have proved erroneous.) So has Mickey Rooney. Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married nine times. William Shatner has an impressive number of exes, as do Billy Bob Thornton and Joan Collins. Like news anchoring, the field of extreme spouse collecting is dominated by women who were once considered very good-looking and men who almost never were.<\/p>\n
The official record holder until recently, it’s gratifying to note, was not a celebrity. The late Linda Wolfe of Indiana had 23 ex-husbands, although she admitted she married the last one as a publicity stunt. The other 22 were thus completely, totally genuine and heartfelt, and when last contacted by the press, Wolfe said she wouldn’t mind marrying again. She was hoping for a straight man; on the two occasions she married a gay guy, it didn’t take….<\/p>\n
All of which raises the question: How many marriages are too many? Statistics show that more second marriages break up than first ones and more third marriages \u201d\u201d about 75% \u201d\u201d break up than second ones. Given that trajectory, shouldn’t a referee step in after the third or fourth and suspend play for the good of all?<\/p>\n