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Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 92, is marrying for the fifth time. It 'better be his last'

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DailyBiteMar 21, 2023 | 12:22

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, 92, is marrying for the fifth time. It 'better be his last'

Rupert Murdoch is marrying for the fifth time. Photo: AFP

American media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, is getting married… for the fifth time… at 92. Murdoch, whose empire consists of the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, is set to marry Ann Lesley Smith, 66, a former San Francisco police chaplain.

According to the New York Post, also part of Murdoch's media empire, the nonagenarian proposed Smith on St Patrick's Day (March 17), because he's "one-fourth Irish" (like all white Americans obsessed with their European ancestry).  

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I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love - but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I'm happy.
- Rupert Murdoch (New York Post)

Now, it needs to be seen how his newest marriage will affect the multi-billion dollar succession planning. 

When did the two meet? 

  • Ann Lesley Smith told the New York Post that the two met in September last year at Murdoch's California vineyard. 
I'm a widow 14 years. Like Rupert, my husband was a businessman. Worked for local papers, developed radio and TV stations and helped promote Univision. So I speak Rupert's language. We share the same beliefs.
- Ann Lesley Smith, Bride-to-be
  • Ann Lesley Smith is the widow of Chester Smith, a country singer, and radio and TV executive. 

In February, The Daily Beast reported on why Murdoch was getting married at such a ripe-old age quoting unnamed close associates of the media mogul. Apparently, it has to do with his Catholic Christian faith, which makes him prefer marriage over dating. The report also mentioned that there was no word on what his faith said about his last four divorces.  

Who is Ann Lesley Smith? 

Rupert Murdoch with Ann Lesley Smith. Photo: Twitter/Naija_PR
  • Smith's first marriage was with "John", from the Huntington railroad family, one of America's wealthiest families. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in divorce.
  • In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Smith talked about how she went from royalty to nothing after her divorce and how it made her turn towards God. 
  • Earlier, she worked as a dental hygienist and had a stint in modelling. 

Rupert Murdoch's many marriages:

Rupert Murdoch with his former fourth wife, Jeremy Hall. Photo: Getty Images
  • Only last year, Murdoch divorced model Jerry Hall, his fourth wife after 6 years of marriage. 
  • When he married Hall, he had announced on Twitter that he was "the luckiest AND happiest man in the world", according to the BBC.
  • Reports said that Murdoch's six children were the cause of the split between the two.  
  • Murdoch was earlier married to Australian flight attendant Patricia Booker, Scottish-born journalist Anna Mann, and Chinese-born entrepreneur Wendi Deng.
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Last updated: March 21, 2023 | 12:23
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