Billionaire Rupert Murdoch at 93: Exploring the media mogul’s marital and engagement history

Rupert Murdoch and Elena Zhukova posing for a photo, Saturday, June 1, 2024 during their wedding ceremony at his vineyard estate in Bel Air, Calif. Photo handout via AP

First marriage to Patricia Booker

People magazine reports that Murdoch’s first wife was Booker, a flight attendant and part-time department store model. They were married in 1956 when Murdoch was 25, and their first daughter Prudence was born two years later.

Their marriage lasted 11 years and dissolved in 1967. In 1969, Booker married Freddie Maeder, a man Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff characterizes as a "bad-news Swiss jet-setter," according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

It is reported that Booker died in 1998.

Second marriage to Anna Torv

The billionaire wed journalist Torv, who is now 80, the same year he divorced his first wife. The Independent reports that they met while Torv was employed at Murdoch’s Sydney newspaper, the Daily Mirror.

Their marriage spanned 32 years, ending in a divorce in 1999, with Torv receiving a settlement of US$1.2 billion in assets.

Murdoch and Torv had three children together: daughter Elisabeth, and sons Lachlan and James.

Third marriage to Wendi Deng

Merely 17 days after his divorce from Torv was finalized, Murdoch married his third wife Deng, who is 38 years his junior. It is reported that they first met at a company party when Murdoch was 67 and Deng was 29.

Their marriage concluded in 2013, and they share two daughters: Grace and Kelly.

Fourth marriage to Jerry Hall

Introduced by mutual acquaintances, Murdoch married model Hall, now 68, in London in 2016. Hall had previously been in a long-term relationship with Mick Jagger, the lead singer of the English rock band Rolling Stones.

Their marriage ended in 2022.

Brief engagement to Ann Lesley Smith

The engagement between Murdoch and former radio host Smith, now 68, was made public in 2023, as reported by The New York Times. They had initially planned to marry that summer. However, the wedding was abruptly called off just two weeks after the announcement of their engagement.

Fifth marriage to retired molecular biologist Elena Zhukova

Murdoch and Elena Zhukova, 67, married on June 1 at Moraga, Murdoch’s vineyard and estate in California, according to AFP. They were introduced by his ex-wife Wendi Deng.

Zhukova’s daughter Dasha Zhukova, an arts patron and entrepreneur, was previously married to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

As of June 6, Murdoch, whose media holdings include The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and other prominent outlets, along with his family, is valued at US$19.8 billion by Forbes.

He relinquished control of his global media empire to his son Lachlan last November, transitioning to an emeritus role.