Larry King, a key figure in the birth and growth of women’s professional tennis as a promoter, sports entrepreneur, and creator of tennis institutions, and as former husband of tennis star Billie Jean King, died on May 29, 2026 at his home in Grass Valley, CA. He was 81 years old.

Mr. King died after a long battle with prostate cancer, according to his wife, Nancy Bolger King.

A lawyer by training, Mr. King used his legal and promotional skills to found or co-found key tennis institutions from 1970 through the 1980s. These included the Women’s Tennis Association, Tennis America, Women’s Sports Foundation, womenSports magazine, the Women’s Superstars television series, World Team Tennis, and the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match with Bobby Riggs. He pursued most of these efforts in partnership with his wife in the 1970s and 1980s, Ms. King. Together, their efforts elevated tennis not just as an athletic endeavor, but as a force for equality across society as well.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Mr. King’s father moved the family to Eagle Rock, part of Los Angeles, in the late 1940s. He attended Los Angeles State College, where he met Ms. King. After their wedding in 1965, the couple moved to Berkeley, CA, where Mr. King enrolled in Boalt Law School on the UC Berkeley campus.

Mr. King and Billie Jean King were married for 22 years, until 1987. Ms. King was the idealist and visionary of the pair, while Mr. King served up ideas to build out her visions. For example, from a young age Ms. King had dreamed of creating a team approach to tennis in which men and women were treated and paid equally. Sharing her interest, Mr. King worked to establish World Team Tennis and populated the league with teams. He also designed colorful courts and a revamped scoring system to popularize the new sport.

When Ms. King was sued in 1981 by a former lover, Marilyn Barnett, for palimony, Mr. King stood by his wife, fighting the lawsuit and ultimately prevailing in court. Many wondered how the Kings could remain married, but Mr. King was clear that he would always love Ms. King and that her interest in women was not a concern to him. However, by 1987 the couple had divorced.

Mr. King’s entrepreneurial energies were extensive and undimmed later in his life. By the early 1990s, after moving to Grass Valley, CA, he had co-founded Roller Hockey International, a professional roller hockey league played on inline skates; Bridge Pro Tour, a professional bridge tour; and Bridge Today University to teach bridge, a longstanding passion. Earlier in his life he created a tourist boat company, a tourist magazine, and the Kaua’i Loves You triathlon competitions in Hawai’i, a televised event that led up to the IronMan on the Big Island.

Mr. King was known for his impish humor and happy-go-lucky demeanor. A strong opponent of smoking but a realist who understood that Philip Morris’s sponsorship of Virginia Slims tournaments was a lifeline for women’s tennis, Mr. King lodged a low-key protest, sporting a “No Smoking” tie at a Virginia Slims press conference.
Mr. King married Nancy Bolger King after they met on the women’s tour in the late 1980s. They moved to Grass Valley, CA in the early 1990s and built a life together with their son Sky and daughter Katie.

Larry King is survived by his wife, Nancy Bolger King of Grass Valley, CA; a son, Sky King of Austin, TX; a daughter, Katie King of Grass Valley, CA; a daughter-in-law, Caroline King of Austin, TX; a granddaughter, Athena Litany King, of Austin, TX; and two dogs, Molly and Ellie King.

Private memorial services are planned for August.

Donations in memory of Mr. King can be made to the Love and Love Tennis Foundation, run by Rosie Casals and Tory Fritz.

Mr. King’s memoir, Idea Man, is scheduled for publication in August.