Rupert Murdoch has filed for divorce from his wife, Wendi Deng Murdoch, according to Deadline on Thursday.
The website broke the news that the filing was made in New York State Supreme Court on Thursday. News Corp. confirmed the report to news outlets. Times reporter Amy Chozick tweeted, "Rupert has filed for divorce. Wendi has been informed."
Chozick reported that the filing said that the "relationship between husband and wife has broken down irretrievably.” Deng is Murdoch's third wife. The two wed in 1999 and have been married for 14 years. They have two daughters.
She famously came to Murdoch's defense when someone hit him with a foam pie during his 2011 hearing on News Corp.'s phone hacking scandal. She leapt to her feet and lunged at his attacker.
It will be the third divorce for the News Corp. CEO, who is 82 years old. Murdoch's divorce from his second wife Anna in 1999 resulted in a $1.7 billion settlement — what is believed to be one of the most expensive divorce settlements on record. Murdoch was reportedly worth $11.2 billion, as of March 2013.
Murdoch's company is currently in the process of splitting its media and entertainment holdings into two different entities, both remaining under his control. Deadline reported that "early signs" do not indicate Thursday's news will impact the proceedings. Wendi Deng Murdoch and her two daughters with Rupert do not have voting power in the company.