His infamous don’t-mess-with-me attitude and ferocious business acumen made him arguably the most powerful moguls in the world…and an inspiration for patriarch Logan Roy in HBO’s Emmy-kissed drama Succession.
For more than five decades, controversial Keith Rupert Murdoch, 93 today – ‘KRM’ to staff and friends – has stood atop a business empire that won him respect, a $9billion personal fortune as well as four ex-wives.
Respected – and feared – by world leaders and the public alike, the n-born media baron was able to sway elections, governments and fellow business leaders.
So, what does his next chapter look like after he announced his retirement last September?
DailyMail.com can confirm he will be focusing most of his time on his special passion project making world-class wines at his beloved Moraga Bel Air estate, a bucolic oasis amid the bustle of Los Angeles – and where he will tie the knot with his new fiancée, retired scientist Elena Zhukova, 67.
Rupert Murdoch quarantined at his beloved Moraga estate during the Covid pandemic with then wife Jerry Hall, 67. While it’s a not a money maker compared to his media investments, the wine already has a cult following and Murdoch intends to capitalize on this, insiders say
Murdoch on Thursday announced his engagement to Elena Zhukova, a twice-divorced molecular biologist and specialist in diabetes. The two are set to tie the knot at his beloved Moraga estate this summer
The unique estate sits on a 16-acre parcel of land in the center of the LA metropolis. Moraga is the only vineyard in LA, and the estate comprises 14 acres atop the Benedict Canyon fault
The media mogul announced his engagement last Thursday, confirming Zhukova is soon to be his fifth wife.
DailyMail.com revealed the happy couple started dating last August when the two were spotted cruising the Mediterranean on a family summer holiday. They are now planning a summer wedding.
Invitations for the nuptials have been sent out and the event is to be held in June at Murdoch’s California estate, reported The New York Times.
The Fox patriarch met Zhukova through his third wife Wendi Deng and the two began dating after his previous engagement to former police chaplain and vineyard owner Ann Lesley Smith was called off just two weeks after it was announced.
Zhukova is the mother of Dasha Zhukova, a Russian socialite who is famous for her marriage to Russian oligarch and former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.
Dasha and Deng are great friends in New York and it seems that is how Elena was likely introduced to the media mogul. ‘They met through Wendi and Dasha,’ said a source.
It was something of a shock last September when Murdoch – who had previously joked about being immortal – announced he was standing down from Fox News and News Corporation.
After being at the pinnacle of power for so long, he has handing over the reins of the family empire to heir apparent Lachlan, 52, his older son, and will now focus on his new passion project.
‘He wants Moraga to be a big part of his legacy,’ a Murdoch insider tells DailyMail.com. ‘He sees it as his responsibility to make sure the property has a secure future and that more people get to know the wine.’
After spending 70 years at the helm of his empire, Rupert Murdoch will be retreating from the media business to focus on making world-class wines at his Moraga Bel Air estate in LA, insiders tell DailyMail.com. He is pictured above with ex-wife Jerry Hall at the vineyard
The secluded property, hiding behind a 7ft ivy-clad stone wall and large wooden driveway fence, was first built in 1937 as a horse ranch
The winery – the only working one in Los Angeles – was among the properties affected by California wildfires in 2017
A firefighter watches as a helicopter drop water over the Moraga Estate, the only working winery in Bel Air and home to Rupert Murdoch, as wildfires erupted on December 6, 2017 in LA
Murdoch purchased the unique estate in August 2013 – via his Moraga Canyon Vineyards LLC – from former Northrop Grumman CEO Tom Jones (left). The sprawling property was first owned by Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz director Victor Fleming (right) and back then it used to host Hollywood greats for horse-riding and extravagant parties
‘He wanted to step down while he knew he had time and enough energy to focus on other things, especially Moraga,’ the source added.
Murdoch purchased the unique estate in August 2013 via his Moraga Canyon Vineyards LLC from former Northrop Grumman CEO Tom Jones after seeing it listed for sale in the mansions section of the Wall Street Journal, part of the media stable he ran.
Los Angeles County property documents reveal the purchase price was $22.3million rather than the $28.8million widely reported – an example, perhaps, of Murdoch’s ability to broker a good deal.
Jones first planted vines on the property in 1980. He made Murdoch promise to keep the property as a working winery and, indeed, he has.
Also, Murdoch allowed Jones to continue living there until his passing in five months later in January 2014, aged 93. Murdoch himself will celebrate his 93rd birthday next week, on March 11.
His mother, philanthropist Dame Elizabeth, lived to 103.
The unique estate sits on a 16-acre parcel of land in the center of the LA metropolis.
The secluded property, hiding behind a 7ft ivy-clad stone wall and large wooden driveway fence, was first built in 1937 as a horse ranch.
Murdoch was previously engaged to Ann Lesley Smith (right) in March 2023, just six months after the pair first met
After being at the pinnacle of power for so long, Rupert announced he would be handing over the reins of the family empire to heir apparent Lachlan, 52, his eldest son (pictured left)
Sources say ex-wife Jerry, 25 years his junior, had hoped to inherit the vineyard and had been taking an online viticulture course before their shock divorce announcement in 2022
The first owner was Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz director Victor Fleming. Back then it used to host Hollywood greats such as Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh, Ingrid Bergman and Spencer Tracy for horse-riding and extravagant parties.
As well as a 7,500 square-foot ranch-style house, there is a guest house, various other outbuildings and a wine cave, the only one in Los Angles County.
It is Moraga, located on quiet, tree-lined Moraga Drive in the Santa Monica Mountains, that has captured Murdoch’s heart more than any of his other luxury homes.
Murdoch quarantined at Moraga during the Covid pandemic with then wife Jerry Hall, 67. Today, Team Murdoch includes an security team, on-call personal chef, housekeepers and estate manager.
Murdoch’s Bel-Air neighbors include other titans of industry and scores of Hollywood celebrities including Beyoncé and Jay Z, and Jennifer Aniston.
Sources say Hall, 25 years his junior, had hoped to inherit the vineyard and had been taking an online viticulture course before Murdoch’s shock announcement to her via email in 2022 that their marriage was over and he wanted a divorce.
An episode of ABC’s Modern Family was filmed at the winery in 2017.
Unlike the billions made by the media companies money-conscious Murdoch ran, the winery is not a huge money-maker.
Murdoch has an extensive real estate portfolio beyond Moraga, including a $200million 340,000-acre cattle ranch he purchased in Montana
Murdoch purchased the sprawling unit on the 27th floor at 150 Central Park South after it went on the market in January.
Indeed, the business loses between $2-$3million a year due to taxes, property prices, and since it’s located in a residential neighborhood with homes surrounding it all sides, the number of vines cannot be increased to boost production.
Fortunately, the wine already has a cult following and Murdoch intends to capitalize on this.
A self-professed oenophile, his goal is for ‘wine lovers everywhere to have the opportunity to understand the unique nuances of our specific soil at Moraga and how that translates into the amazing wines we create,’ according to the Moraga website.
‘We are not Napa nor Bordeaux,’ he explains. ‘We are Moraga and deserve a place a the table with the rest of the world’s top wines.’
And with Murdoch’s notorious bravado there’s a good chance he’ll make it happen.
In May last year, he hired a new Director of Sales and Marketing, Suzette Hébert, to help find new markets, promoting the Moraga Bel Air brand to wine lovers and high-end restaurants.
Apart from its wine club members the winery is closed to the public but it now offers tastings at $150 per head.
The red wine costs $140 a bottle, while the white (a sauvignon) $90.
Winemaker Paul Warson said: ‘It’s time that people really know about this. We want people to have access.
‘We have a gorgeous, rare and exceptionally special property in the heart of Los Angeles, and we want to bring neighbors and visitors together by creating the ability for us to share it whenever possible,’ he says.
Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall outside St Bride’s church in London following a service to celebrate their wedding in 2016
The heirs: Lachlan, James and Elisabeth grew up in New York (above in 1989 with Murdoch and second wife Anna)
Lachlan Murdoch, right, and Rupert Murdoch attend a conference in 2017. Lachlan took over the business in November
‘So many people don’t know about Moraga, and we want to change that – its an exciting time.’
In 2019, Murdoch hosted a party at Moraga to celebrate the winery’s 30th anniversary. Guests included Jerry Hall’s former longtime partner and the father of her four children, Mick Jagger, 80.
Murdoch also owns Beaverhead Ranch in Montana, along with 7,000 head of cattle, which he purchased for $200million in 2021. He also owns three luxury condominiums in New York City.
And who will eventually inherit the winery from the father-of-six? In a Succession-worthy plot line, he has already decided who will have Moraga when he has gone.
According to a source, he will bequeath it to Lachlan – who has, like his father, promised to keep Moraga as a successful working winery. His younger brother, James, left the family business in 2020.
Lachlan already owns Chartwell in Bel-Air, a $150 million, 25,000-square-foot mega residence on 10 acres with 11 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms. It is the most expensive home in Los Angeles County.