Editing Les Paul (section)

==Personal life==
[[File:Les Paul laughing.jpg|thumb|Paul with pianist John Colianni]]
Les Paul married Virginia Webb in 1937.<ref name="The early years of the Les Paul legacy, 1915-1963">{{cite book| first= Robb| last= Lawrence| year= 2008| title= The early years of the Les Paul legacy, 1915-1963| edition= 1st| publisher= Hal Leonard Corporation| location= Milwaukee| isbn= 978-0-634-04861-6| page= 16}}</ref> They had two children, Les Paul Jr. (Rusty) (1941–2015), and [[Gene Paul]] (1944), who was named after actor-songwriter [[Gene Lockhart]].

After getting divorced in 1949, Paul married [[Mary Ford]] (born Iris Colleen Summers).<ref name="ReferenceA">"Les Paul's Baby Dies." New York Times, Dec 01, 1954</ref> The best man and matron of honor were the parents of guitarist [[Steve Miller (musician)|Steve Miller]], whose family was from [[Milwaukee]]. Paul was Miller's godfather and his first guitar teacher.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p106068|label=Steve Miller}}</ref><ref name="Hernandez">{{cite web|last1=Hernandez|first1=Raoul|title=Space Cowboy Steve Miller's Not Joking|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2016-07-22/space-cowboy-steve-millers-not-joking/|website=The Austin Chronicle|access-date=12 February 2017|date=22 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213163600/http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2016-07-22/space-cowboy-steve-millers-not-joking/|archive-date=February 13, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Ford gave birth to their first child on November 30, 1954, but the girl was born prematurely and died when she was four days old.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> They adopted a girl, Colleen, in 1958, and their son, Robert (Bobby), was born the following year. Paul and Ford divorced in December 1964.<ref name="nytdiv"/>

Paul and Ford maintained a house in [[Mahwah, New Jersey]],<ref>Fredrix, Emily via [[Associated Press]]. [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-05-11-les-paul_N.htm "Guitarist Les Paul plays for hometown"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428052750/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-05-11-les-paul_N.htm |date=April 28, 2017 }}, ''[[USA Today]]'', May 10, 2007. Accessed April 27, 2017."</ref> and after their divorce Ford lived there until her death in 1977.

In 1995, Paul established the Les Paul Foundation, which was designed to remain dormant until his death. The Les Paul Foundation aims to inspire innovative and creative thinking by sharing the legacy of Les Paul through support of music education, recording, innovation, and medical research related to hearing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.les-paul.com/the-foundation/|title=About: Mission Statement |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=les-paul.com |date=February 24, 2021 |access-date=September 15, 2022}}</ref> The Foundation established the Les Paul Innovation Award in 1991 and the Les Paul Spirit Award in 2016.

===Death===
On August 12, 2009, Paul died of complications from [[pneumonia]] at White Plains Hospital in [[White Plains, New York]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/arts/music/14paul.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1 |title=Les Paul Obituary |newspaper=New York Times |date=August 13, 2009 |access-date=2009-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202054118/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/arts/music/14paul.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1 |archive-date=December 2, 2017 |url-status=live |last1=Pareles |first1=Jon }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/97288/les_paul|title=Music Great Les Paul Dies at 94|author=Newels, Eric|access-date=August 21, 2009|date=August 17, 2009|publisher=[[idiomag]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327141303/http://www.idiomag.com/peek/97288/les_paul|archive-date=March 27, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>  After hearing about his death, many musicians commented on his importance. [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] called him "vibrant and full of positive energy", while [[Richie Sambora]] called him a "revolutionary in the music business". [[The Edge]] said, "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten."<ref name="Gathersnomoss">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/13/les-paul-remembered-guitar-greats-on-their-true-hero/|title=Les Paul Remembered: Guitar Greats on Their True Hero|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=August 13, 2009|access-date=August 13, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816072638/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/13/les-paul-remembered-guitar-greats-on-their-true-hero/|archive-date=August 16, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Slowtime">{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6795384.ece|title=Musicians pay tribute to the 'original guitar hero' Les Paul|newspaper=[[The Times]]|author=Jack Malvern|date=August 13, 2009|access-date=August 13, 2009 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Sheridan, Luke |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/obituary/article/681159 |title=Les Paul, 94: Guitar legend |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|date=August 14, 2009 |access-date=August 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090816173524/http://www.thestar.com/news/obituary/article/681159 |archive-date=August 16, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> On August 21, 2009, he was buried in Prairie Home Cemetery, [[Waukesha, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/funeral-plans-announced-for-les-paul/ | work=The New York Times | title=Funeral Plans Announced for Les Paul | first=Dave | last=Itzkoff | date=August 18, 2009 | access-date=May 7, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714223719/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/funeral-plans-announced-for-les-paul/ | archive-date=July 14, 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/54027427.html |title=Les Paul comes home to his mother |publisher=JSOnline |access-date=March 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505101646/http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/54027427.html |archive-date=May 5, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>