Rupert Murdoch, the media magnate, has not given up on love, even at 92. According to The New York Times, Murdoch announced on Thursday that he plans to marry his girlfriend, Elena Zhukova, in June. Murdoch has been married four times previously. His turbulent personal life frequently serves as fodder for the tabloid newspaper industry, which he helped establish on three continents.
Murdoch announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith, a dental hygienist who eventually became a conservative radio broadcaster, last year, but the wedding was called off less than a month later. According to The Times, Zhukova, 67, is a retired molecular biologist who moved to the United States from Russia and is a quarter century younger than Murdoch. Her daughter, Dasha Zhukova, an arts patron and entrepreneur, previously married Russian millionaire Roman Abramovich, according to the Times. Murdoch’s wedding is expected to take place at his California wine and home, Moraga.
Rupert Murdoch handed over control of his global media empire to his son Lachlan last November
Murdoch’s last marriage was to model Jerry Hall, a former long-term companion of Rolling Stones leader Mick Jagger. Murdoch, who has six children, was previously 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 married for over 30 years before getting divorced in 1999. His third marriage, to Wendi Deng, terminated in 2013. Forbes estimates that Australian Murdoch’s media empire, which includes The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and other major publications, is worth more than $20 billion. Murdoch handed over control of his global media empire to his son Lachlan last November, shifting to an emeritus status.