Anna de Peyster, Author and Second Wife of Rupert Murdoch, Dies at 81

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Anna de Peyster, an author and philanthropist who was Rupert Murdoch's second wife and the mother of their three children, has died at the age of 81 at her home in Palm Beach, Florida after a long illness. She was married to Murdoch from 1967 to 1999 and served on the News Corp. board from 1990 to 1998. De Peyster published three novels under the name Anna Murdoch and was involved in various philanthropic efforts.

Why it matters

As Rupert Murdoch's second wife and the mother of three of his children, Anna de Peyster played a significant role in the media mogul's personal and professional life. Her passing marks the end of an era for the Murdoch family and highlights the lasting impact she had through her writing, philanthropy, and service on the News Corp. board.

The details

Anna Maria Torv was born in 1944 in Glasgow, Scotland and moved to Australia with her family in the mid-1950s. She worked as a clerk at the Daily Mirror in Sydney and became a reporter, eventually interviewing Murdoch, then the newspaper's publisher, whom she married soon after he divorced his first wife. De Peyster and Murdoch had three children together - Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James. After her divorce from Murdoch in 1999, she married businessman William Mann, who passed away in 2017. Two years later, she wed Ashton de Peyster, a real-estate developer in Florida, who survives her.

• Anna de Peyster was born in 1944 in Glasgow, Scotland.
• De Peyster and Murdoch were married from 1967 to 1999.
• De Peyster served on the News Corp. board from 1990 to 1998.
• De Peyster published three novels under the name Anna Murdoch in 1985, 1988, and 1991.
• De Peyster passed away on February 20, 2026 at her home in Palm Beach, Florida.