Sixty-nine year old Bob Johnson was worth over a billion bucks at one point, has created one of the largest African American networks in the history of television, and is now following in the footsteps of some others in the music business such as Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and Peabo Bryson. Like those singing fellas, Bob’s fiance’ is only a few years older than his children and they are loving their happily newly engaged life together so far.

Bob revealed to the Washington Post that he spent some major bread to propose to his 36 year old girlfriend of 5 years, Laura Wooden. I mean the brother did way more than just get on one knee, he went ALL out! Check out how he got his woman, who is less than half his age to say ‘yes’:

BET founder Bob Johnson popped the question to his girlfriend of five years, Lauren Wooden, in the City of Light last month.

Her answer? Well, what else does one say to 7.5 carats (nestled on a giant ice sculpture in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, natch), a shower of rose petals and a bottle of Dom Perignon, following a private after-hours tour and dinner at the Musee Rodin? And you’re standing in front of the sculptor’s romantic “The Kiss”?

Wooden, a 36 year-old student pursuing an international business-management doctorate in Paris, said mais oui, of course.

The over-the-top proposal was a bit better orchestrated than the first time Johnson, 69, asked her to marry him — on their first date, five years ago. The mogul recalls first clapping his eyes on Wooden, who was then a concierge at the Los Angeles Four Seasons. Love at first sight? “For me absolutely,” he says. But Wooden was more cautious. She said yes to dinner but turned down his proposal that night.
So for his second attempt, Johnson knew he needed a bit more of a ‘wow’ factor and enlisted his pal, Franco Nuschese, the owner of Cafe Milano. “I told Franco, ‘I’ve got to have something memorable — a restaurant won’t do.’”

“I’ve found the absolute, unequivocally right person for me,” Johnson says. “Happiness only begins to describe how I feel.”

Ditto for the bride-to-be: “I’m over-the-moon, madly, deeply, proudly in love with Bob.”

This is the second marriage for both of them and hopefully this will be their last.

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