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In brief
- Anna dePeyster, the former wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has died aged 81 following a long illness.
- dePeyster, who served on the News Corporation board, was married to Murdoch for more than 30 years.
Anna dePeyster, previously known as Anna Murdoch and the former spouse of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, has passed away at the age of 81. She leaves behind their children, James, Elisabeth, and Lachlan.
According to reports from the Murdoch-owned New York Post, Anna dePeyster succumbed to a prolonged illness in Palm Beach, Florida.
The publication commemorated her life, noting that “many worlds loved Anna.”
She was remembered as a “devoted mother, striking lady, with a keen sense of humor, a passion for writing, and a lifelong dedication to supporting children in need.”
In 2019, dePeyster married Ashton dePeyster, a real estate developer, following her divorce from Rupert Murdoch over two decades earlier.
Born in Scotland in 1944 as the oldest of four siblings, dePeyster relocated to Sydney with her family during her childhood.
Raised a Catholic, she attended Our Lady of Mercy College at Parramatta before finding work as a journalist.
She married Murdoch in 1967 after he divorced first wife Patricia Booker.
After working at both Sydney’s Daily Mirror and Daily Telegraph, dePeyster eventually served on the board of Murdoch family company, News Corporation, for eight years.
According to Britain’s Independent newspaper, the people who in 1969 kidnapped and killed Muriel McKay, the wife of Murdoch’s deputy Alick McKay, had originally intended to kidnap her instead.
Confusion arose when the McKays used of 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 noted philanthropist and socialite in Palm Beach and Southampton.
dePeyster was also married for 17 years to financier William Mann.
She is survived by dePeyster, her three children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
According to the New York Post, she died on Tuesday, surrounded by family.
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