Anna Murdoch-Mann, Former Wife of Rupert Murdoch, Dies at 81

Anna Murdoch-Mann, writer and ex-wife of media baron Rupert Murdoch, has died aged 81, his media outlets have announced. Married to the media mogul for 31 years, she played an influential role on the board of his publishing giant, News Corp. She was mother to three of Murdoch's children, Elisabeth, James, and Lachlan Murdoch - who is now chairman of Fox and News Corp - and stepmother to his daughter, Prudence.

Murdoch-Mann, who was also a philanthropist, died on 17 February "surrounded by family" at her home in Palm Beach, Florida. Born Anna Torv in Glasgow and raised as a Catholic, she moved to Australia aged nine. After her parents' divorce, she is said to have brought up her own siblings.

She became a reporter for the Sydney Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Daily Mirror, where she met Rupert Murdoch and went on to serve on the board of his company. "He never made a major business decision without her input", The Australian, another title in his media stable, writes. She penned several novels during their marriage, including the 1988 Family Business about a multi-generational media dynasty.

The couple moved to London, where in 1969 a woman was abducted and held to ransom in Hertfordshire - mistaken for Murdoch-Mann. Muriel McKay was killed by her kidnappers and there have been renewed efforts to find her body in recent years.

The then-Murdochs divorced in 1999 in one of the most expensive separations in history - Murdoch-Mann received a $1.7bn (£1bn) settlement. Murdoch married his third wife, Wendi Deng, 17 days later.

In an exclusive interview after her separation, Murdoch-Mann told Australian Women's Weekly, "I think there's going to be a lot of heartbreak and hardship" over the succession for Murdoch's media empire. "There's been such a lot of pressure that they needn't have had at their age," she added.

These tensions inspired the television series Succession and played out in courts in real life too. A years-long court battle ended with Murdoch's eldest son, Lachlan, being set to control the news group late last year.

Murdoch-Mann went on to remarry, first to financier William Mann, who died in 2017. She later wed her third husband, Ashton dePeyster, who survives her along with 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The philanthropist served on the boards of several children's hospitals including in Los Angeles and Haiti. In 1998, she was made a Dame of the Order of St Gregory by Pope John Paul II.