News Corp's Rupert Murdoch files for divorce from wife Wendi

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation, arrives with his wife Wendi Deng at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California in this February 24, 2013 file photo.[Photo/Agencies]

Rupert Murdoch files for divorce

News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch on Thursday filed for divorce from his wife of 14 years, Wendi, seeking to end a marriage that had been irretrievably broken for more than six months, according to his spokesman.

Murdoch, 82, married the former Wendi Deng, 44, in 1999 in his third and her second marriage. They have two young daughters.

The divorce filing, which was sealed, comes just days before News Corp is to split into two companies, one containing its entertainment assets and the other holding its publishing business. Murdoch, who Forbes says is worth $9.4 billion, is to be chairman of both publicly traded companies.

Despite the timing, there is no connection between the divorce and the corporate split, said a source close to News Corp who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Deng could not be reached for comment.

Analysts said the end of the Murdochs' marriage was unlikely to have an impact on the media empire. Murdoch and Deng had a prenuptial agreement, according to a person familiar with the situation. Their girls, Grace and Chloe, have stakes in the family trust that holds the Murdochs' stake in News Corp, but they do not have voting rights.

"I doubt it has a substantial impact on the spin," Gabelli & Co analyst Brett Harriss said, referring to the News Corp separation. "Given that it's his third wife, I see it unlikely that he didn't plan for this contingency."

Ira Garr, an attorney listed as representing Murdoch, said he filed the divorce papers just after 11 am EDT on Thursday. Garr, who previously represented Ivana Trump and actor Anthony Quinn's wife Yolanda, declined to comment further.

Deng is represented by attorney Pamela Sloan, chair of the Family Law section of the New York State Bar Association. Sloan, a partner of the firm Aronson Mayefsky and Sloan, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Details of the prenuptial agreement were not known and it was not clear who would move out of the Murdochs' apartment in New York City's tony Upper East Side.

Murdoch also has four grown children, Prudence from his first marriage, and Lachlan, James and Elisabeth from his second. These four grown children all have voting rights unlike Murdoch's two children with Deng. The family trust owned 38.4 percent of the voting stock in News Corp as of April 30.