The 92-year-old media mogul Rupert Murdoch, with a net worth in the billions, has fallen in love again, which seems to have become the norm in his love life spanning over sixty years. The billionaire appears to have always been in pursuit of love and shows no sign of slowing down despite his advanced age. Even in his 90s, he is still hailed by Vanity Fair as “the greatest romantic of our time.”
From 1956 to the present, while the United States has seen 13 presidents, Murdoch’s record of marriage is equally notable, having been married to four women. It seems that this elderly man’s journey in love, which has lasted a full sixty years, shows no signs of stopping.
In mid-August 2023, on the waters off the Greek island of Corfu, Murdoch, at the age of 92, enjoyed a romantic date with his new girlfriend Elena Tsukanova aboard a luxury yacht named Christina O. This yacht, filled with history and formerly owned by billionaire Aristotle Onassis, has witnessed significant events of many prominent figures.
Now it has become the romantic setting for Murdoch and the 66-year-old Elena. Being a Russian-American molecular biologist and diabetes expert, Elena also had two previous marriages. One of her former husbands is the Russian billionaire Alexander Tsukanov, with an estimated net worth of $7 billion. Elena’s daughter Dasha was previously married to Roman Abramovich, the well-known Russian oligarch and former owner of the English football club Chelsea.
It is said that Murdoch and Elena have known each other for a long time, but their romance blossomed only recently. During their yacht vacation, places like Positano and Naples in Italy also became witnesses to their love. Many speculate that Murdoch may be heading down the aisle once again.
Ironically, in Murdoch’s new love affair, his third wife Wendi Deng is also a good friend of Elena, who was actually the one who introduced Elena to Murdoch. Murdoch has always been efficient in matters of love and ended an engagement earlier in 2023 due to religious differences with the woman. Now, he has fallen into a new love affair and has said, “I am afraid of falling in love, but I know this will be the last time.”
A romantic beginning and decisive ending have become Murdoch’s love pattern for over half a century. In his life, the media tycoon has been married four times, walking the journey of life with flight attendant Pat, journalist Anna, Wendi Deng, and model Hall.
In 1956, a 25-year-old Murdoch fell in love with flight attendant Pat and maintained the relationship for 11 years. After that, he married Anna, a 19-year-old reporter for the Daily Mirror at the time. Anna recalls their first meeting: “He came into my world like a whirlwind, captivating.” Murdoch also reminisced: “She was radiant and had an outstanding talent for writing.” Murdoch’s marriage with Anna lasted 31 years, and together they raised three children.
Legendary Wendi Deng burst into Murdoch’s life in a striking manner. At a busy meeting, she boldly questioned Murdoch: “Why is your business strategy in China such a failure?” Hence, Deng accompanied Murdoch on visits across Asia, winning him over with her charm. Murdoch confessed: “I fell deeply in love with her, and though my initial proposal was rejected, I did not give up and pursued her for a long time.” In their romantic story, Murdoch paid a hefty divorce settlement to his ex-wife Anna, and a mere 17 days after divorcing, he married Deng on board the Morning Glory yacht in New York Harbor.
By Deng’s side, Murdoch seemed rejuvenated. He took up yoga, changed his style and dress code, and appeared much more energetic. However, he was shocked to discover words of high praise for former British Prime Minister Blair in Deng’s diary. This revelation marked a turning point in their marriage, leading to their subsequent divorce.
After a long hiatus in his personal life, Murdoch encountered Jerry Hall. In 2016, they were married in the historic Temple Church in central London. At the start of their marriage, Murdoch enthusiastically shared his happiness on social media: “I am the luckiest and happiest man in the world,” and stated he would take a break from social media to celebrate this joyous moment.
Yet, this marriage ultimately did not withstand the test of time, lasting only six years. As Hall revealed, she received an email from Murdoch in the summer of 2022 announcing the end of their marriage, with plans for future communication to go through lawyers.
Having navigated four marriages almost seamlessly over 66 years and 13 changes of U.S. presidents, media mogul Murdoch has recently made his relationship with a new love public in January of this year. It was then that his ex-wife Hall realized his heart belonged to someone else. Biographer Michael Wolff described Murdoch’s life as a tale of always needing the company of women. Murdoch, a top billionaire with a net worth of 17.2 billion dollars, faces emotional ups and downs with more than 5 billion dollars in divorce costs.
Murdoch’s divorce lawyer Daniel Jaffe commented that for Murdoch, each divorce has been a serious business negotiation. His first divorce from wife Pat, before his business empire was established, resulted in a comparatively modest settlement. Their children are relatively inconspicuous among all of Murdoch’s descendants.
Murdoch’s second divorce was one of the most expensive in history. With the marriage lasting more than 30 years, U.S. laws would have typically entitled a division of assets. Despite a 31-year marriage, Murdoch’s second wife, Anna, ultimately renounced her claim to the fortune in favor of a 1.7 billion dollar settlement, including 110 million in cash.
In contrast, Murdoch’s prenuptial agreement with Wendy Deng was more stringent. Reports suggest that her divorce settlement and assets were far less than her predecessor’s. Deng’s acquisitions included a $44 million mansion in downtown New York and a courtyard house worth hundreds of millions of yuan next to the Forbidden City in Beijing, which has doubled in value today. However, Deng also ensured the inheritance rights of her two daughters within the Murdoch family.
The fourth wife, Hall, reportedly received a total of about $300 million in alimony, as well as real estate of equal value. Although it was not much compared to the former spouses, the settlement is still notable considering she had no children with Murdoch, and the marriage only lasted for six years. Hall has expressed that she is willing to maintain a friendship with Murdoch.
In Deng’s view, even though she and Murdoch could not spend the rest of their lives as a couple, they still maintain a friendship. In fact, she even tried to set up her former husband with new partners. Today, almost a decade after her divorce from Murdoch, Deng’s social media account name remains Wendimurdoch.
Through four marriages and six children, the overall cost of more than $5 billion for these marriages is just a part of Murdoch’s wealth empire. As he ages, the battle for succession of his business empire is quietly unfolding.
The issue of inheritance within the Murdoch family has become an urgent topic that cannot be ignored, especially considering Murdoch’s struggle with COVID-19 at the end of 2022 and his slow recovery process due to old age and various chronic illnesses. His health problems are not limited to this illness; over the past few years, Murdoch has faced a series of health challenges including back fractures, seizures, and pneumonia, which have intensified the potential inheritance struggles within the Murdoch family.
Starting with the creation of Australia’s first national newspaper, The Australian, Murdoch gradually built a vast media empire. He acquired several renowned media institutions including The News of the World, The Times, and The New York Post, making News Corporation a media giant. According to the latest influence zone, Murdoch holds 14% of the shares and 39.4% of the voting rights in News Corporation and serves as the chairman and largest shareholder of Fox Corporation. On Forbes’ list of global billionaires, he ranks 99th with a net worth of $17.2 billion. He has been described by American conservative political consultant Roger Stone as “the world’s most ruthless businessman,” a ruthlessness that is also reflected in his family management.
Out of six children, only three have the potential to inherit the management rights of News Corporation. Murdoch’s daughters from his first and third wives have been excluded, merely participating in the family trust inheritance. The real succession battle will unfold among the children with his second wife—Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James. Among these three, Elisabeth, with her independent and sharp personality, has had direct conflicts with her father Murdoch. Despite being rated as “the number one most powerful woman in Britain,” her political stance does not align with that of the elder Murdoch, and she seems to have already exited the competition for successor.
Lachlan and James are likely to be the real inheritors of the rivalry. Lachlan, gentle, steady, and competent, has long been seen as the carefully nurtured heir of Murdoch, but left News Corporation in 2005 due to conflicts with the executives at Fox. This provided an opportunity for the assertive James, who over the following decade, gradually solidified his position and became Murdoch’s closest work partner. However, James’s liberal stance and tough personality sparked Murdoch’s dissatisfaction, leading to a strained father-son relationship. In 2015, Murdoch called back Lachlan and gradually distanced himself from James. After the sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney in 2019, James even lost his CEO position to Lachlan.
The choice of Murdoch’s successor will directly affect the future direction of this business empire and its global media status. An insider revealed: “Murdoch had his children compete with each other for a long time,” a move considered to ensure that the ‘tough character’ truly capable of dealing with the business world and ensuring the empire’s continuity would stand out.
In 2020, James decided to break free from the shackles of the family business and resigned from the News Corporation’s board of directors, determined to establish his own enterprise. His close associates revealed that this strategy was actually for long-term planning; he still hopes to regain control of the family business at the right time. Currently, under the family’s succession mechanism, Murdoch’s children with his second wife—Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James—and his daughter Prudence with his first wife all have decision-making voting rights on the family’s board. In comparison, the two daughters born to Wendi Deng only have beneficiary rights and do not possess voting rights.
Industry insiders reveal that for a long time, a significant animosity has formed between James and Lachlan due to the issue of inheritance rights to the family business. At this moment, the two brothers no longer have any communication, each striving to win the alliance and support of their voting-right sisters, Elisabeth and Prudence.
However, regarding the issue of the future heir to the family business, Murdoch himself doesn’t seem to feel any urgency. Even today, at the age of 92, he still intends to avoid discussion about him no longer dominating the media empire. When responding to questions about succession, Murdoch expressed his life goal—he wishes to “live forever.”
