Rupert Murdoch is engaged once again -- at 92

Issued on: 08/03/2024 - 01:53Modified: 08/03/2024 - 02:10

1 min

Murdoch announced Thursday that he plans to wed his girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, in June, The New York Times reported.

Murdoch has been married four times before.

His roller-coaster personal life is often fodder for the tabloid newspaper industry that he helped create on three continents.

Last year, Murdoch announced his engagement to dental hygienist-turned-conservative radio host Ann Lesley Smith, but called off the planned nuptials less than a month later.

Zhukova, who immigrated to the United States from Russia, is a retired molecular biologist who at 67 is a quarter century younger than Murdoch, The Times said.

Her daughter, Dasha Zhukova, an arts patron and entrepreneur, was formerly married to the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, The Times said.

Murdoch's wedding will reportedly take place at his California vineyard and estate, Moraga.

Murdoch's last marriage was to model Jerry Hall, former long-term partner of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Murdoch, who has six children, was first married to Patricia Booker, an Australian flight attendant, whom he divorced in the late 1960s.

He and his second wife, Anna Torv, a newspaper reporter, were together more than 30 years before divorcing in 1999. His third marriage to Wendi Deng ended in 2013.

The Australian Murdoch, whose media empire includes The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and other influential outlets, is worth more than $20 billion, according to Forbes.

Murdoch handed over control of his global media empire to son Lachlan last November, shifting to an emeritus status.

© 2024 AFP