Larry Whittaker from the most inbred family in America has died at 67. The Whittakers are known worldwide because they have a lot of inbreeding in their family, which has caused some startling health problems.
Some people in this family from West Virginia can only make noises, grunt or bark instead of talking or using sign language.
Photographer Mark Laita, who has been taking pictures and videos of the Whittakers since 2020, told fans on YouTube today that Larry probably died from a heart attack last week.
Mark said in his video: “There’s some news with the Whittaker family. Sadly, Larry Whittaker passed away last week. I think he had a heart attack.”
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He said: “Larry was always a great dude to me. He was always really nice. Larry was always a standup guy and he and Betty really ran the show very well. Larry will be greatly missed. It’s going to be hard on Betty now.”
One person on YouTube said as a tribute: “So sorry to the Whitaker Family! Mark thank you for your love and kindness to this family. RIP Larry.”
Someone else wrote: “So sorry to hear about Larry’s passing. Prayers for the Whittaker family. Thank you Mark for all your love and support for everyone!”
The Whittaker family, who reside in the village of Odd in a dilapidated shack, 75 miles from Charleston, have an intricate family tree that started with identical twin brothers Henry and John. Their offspring married each other and had their own children.
Harry and his wife Sally were parents to seven children, including John Isom Whittaker, born in 1882. John fell in love with his first cousin, Ada Rigg, and they had nine children together.
One of these was their daughter Gracie Irene Whittaker, born in 1920. Gracie tied the knot with her double cousin, John Emory Whittaker, in 1935.
They shared both sets of grandparents and had 15 children together.
Sadly, many of their children were born with severe physical and mental impairments, believed to be due to inbreeding.
Their eldest child, Aileen, passed away in June 1997 from a heart attack, while their oldest son Emery died a month after his birth in 1938 from pneumonia. Today, Betty, born in 1952, leads the family after promising her mother she would stay unmarried to care for her 14 siblings.
Photographer Mark documented their lives in Odd and spoke to the family about their daily lives and heritage. When asked about her parents, Betty initially didn’t reveal if they were related but later confirmed her mum and dad are double first cousins.
Her brother and sister, Ray and Lorene, didn’t communicate with words but made noises and moved to show what they meant. Yet, they seemed to understand what photographer Mark was saying easily.
It was said that Lorene’s son, Timmy, came into the world in 1979 because someone did her wrong. A family member said: “They understand what you’re talking about. If they don’t like it, they start yelling- they let you know they don’t like that idea.”
