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Larry L. King, Author of 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas', Dies at Age 83

Author Larry L. King, whose magazine article inspired the Broadway and film productions of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, died Thursday (Dec. 20) near Washington, D.C., at age 83. His story about the Chicken Ranch brothel in La Grange, Texas, was published in Playboy magazine in 1974. King later collaborated with two other fellow Texans -- actor Peter Masterson and songwriter Carol Hall -- to turn the story into a Broadway play. Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton starred in the 1982 film version that included Hall's songs from the Broadway production and the addition of Parton's "I Will Always Love You." A No. 1 country hit for Parton in 1974, her updated recording for the film soundtrack topped the country chart again in 1982.

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