KING DIAMOND Is Madly In Love With His 24-Year-Old Wife

Danish web site BT.dk recently conducted an interview with legendary heavy metal singer King Diamond (real name: Kim Bendix Petersen; KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE) in which he speaks about his 24-year-old Hungarian wife Livia Zita, whom he calls his "soulmate." According to King, who is 52 years old, he spoke to Livia for the first time when she interviewed him over the phone for the Hungarian edition of Metal Hammer magazine. "We got along incredibly well. And afterwards I couldn't stop thinking about her," King says.

"We were both going through a hard time in our lives," he continues. "And we clicked. At some point, I asked her if she would send a photograph of herself. We had talked together for months. But I didn't know how old Livia was… nor how she looked, and when she told me how old she was, I simply couldn't believe it."

When asked what happened to the man who wrote a song called "A Corpse Without A Soul" with MERCYFUL FATE in 1982, King replies, "Ahhh, our music has only become heavier. But I admit that being in love has made me a bit soft inside. Every day is like Christmas. I am just so much in love with Livia."

Despite the fact that King is 28 years her senior, Livia is not concerned. "Our ages are just numbers," she says. We are soulmates."

Regarding how their relationship developed, Livia says, "We talked at first over the phone. Then he went to Hungary, where he, on our first night together, proposed both in English and in German — so that my father would understand it. I, of course, said yes. He and I are just made for each other."

So what does the metal princess calls her heavy metal husband — King? Kim? Prince Of Darkness?

"Haha, I call him 'baby,'" she replies. "'Cause, to me, he is not a rock star. He is my baby."

King Diamond and Livia are not just involved in a romantic relationship, they are also business partners. Livia is singing backing and harmony vocals for her husband — both in the studio and onstage. They are also working together on new songs. At the moment, Mr. and Mrs. Diamond, who reside in Dallas, Texas, are extremely busy compiling old MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND footage for two separate double-DVD releases which are tentatively due this spring. At the same time, the couple is overseeing the re-release of four remastered KING DIAMOND albums: "Spider's Lullabye", "The Graveyard", "Voodoo" and "House Of God".

"We're soulmates," King Diamond echoes his wife's sentiments. "I am just so much in love."

(Original quotes translated from Danish by BLABBERMOUTH.NET.)

King Diamond and wife Livia (photo displayed from BT.dk):