In short
- Anna dePeyster, the former wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has died aged 81 after a long illness.
- dePeyster, who served on the board of News Corporation, was married to Murdoch for more than thirty years.
The former wife of media titan Rupert Murdoch and mother of their children James, Elisabeth and Lachlan has died at the age of 81.
Anna dePeyster, formerly Anna Murdoch, died in Palm Beach, Florida, after a long illness, according to reports in the Murdoch-owned New York Post.
In reporting her death, the newspaper said that “Anna was loved by many worlds.”
“Devoted mother, beautiful lady, sharp wit, love of writing and lifelong dedication to helping children in need.”
dePeyster married real estate developer Ashton dePeyster in 2019, after divorcing Rupert Murdoch two decades earlier.
Born in Scotland as the eldest of four children in 1944, DePeyster moved to Sydney with her family as a child.
She was raised Catholic and attended Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta before finding work as a journalist.
She married Murdoch in 1967 after he divorced his first wife Patricia Booker.
After working at both Sydney’s Daily Mirror and Daily Telegraph, dePeyster eventually served for eight years on the board of the Murdoch family business, News Corporation.
According to the British newspaper Independent, the people who kidnapped and murdered Muriel McKay, the wife of Murdoch’s deputy Alick McKay, in 1969, had originally planned to kidnap her.
Confusion ensued when the McKays used one of Murdoch’s vehicles.
Following her divorce from Murdoch, dePeyster reportedly received $1.7 billion, including $110 million in cash, from the settlement.
dePeyster had a master’s degree in literature and wrote three novels: In Her Own Image, Family Business and Coming to Terms.
She was also a well-known philanthropist and socialite in Palm Beach and Southampton.
dePeyster was also married to financier William Mann for 17 years.
She is survived by dePeyster, her three children, ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
According to the New York Post, she died on Tuesday surrounded by family.
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