Personal life and death
Conrad and his first wife Joan were married for 25 years and had five children. They divorced amicably in 1977. That same year he met his second wife LaVelda Ione Fann. He was 43 when he emceed the Miss National Teenager Pageant, which she won. Their marriage produced three children before their divorce in 2010. His two families were said to "get along famously." Conrad was joined on some television shows by his sons, Shane and Christian, and his daughter, Nancy. Another daughter, Joan, became a television producer.
In a 2008 interview, Conrad described Chicago Outfit associate and burglar Michael Spilotro as his "best friend". Spilotro's murder was featured in the movie Casino. Mob lawyer Frank Ragano, whose clientele included Jimmy Hoffa, Carlos Marcello and Santo Trafficante Jr., was both his lawyer and friend. In 1984, Conrad was awarded a star on the Walk of Western Stars in Newhall, California (now a part of Santa Clarita).
Conrad was involved with a volunteer organization in Bear Valley, California, known as Bear Valley Search and Rescue, which later formed the basis for High Mountain Rangers.
On March 31, 2003, while on Highway 4 in California's Sierra Nevada foothills near his Alpine County home, Conrad drove his Jaguar over the center median and slammed head-on into a Subaru driven by 26-year-old Kevin Burnett. Both men suffered serious injuries. As a result, Conrad faced felony charges to which he pleaded no contest. His plea was accepted, and he was convicted of drunk driving.
He was sentenced to six months of house confinement, alcohol counseling and five years' probation. A civil suit filed by Burnett against Conrad was settled the following year for an undisclosed amount. In 2005, Burnett died at age 28 from perforated ulcers; his family attributed them to his difficult recovery from the crash. Conrad suffered severe nerve injuries from the crash, leaving his right side partially paralyzed.
Conrad died of heart failure in Malibu, California, on February 8, 2020, at age 84.
