Jean Rather, wife of longtime CBS news anchor Dan Rather, dies at 89 after cancer battle
Jean Rather, the wife of legendary evening news host Dan Rather, has died of cancer at 89.
Friends of the Rathers announced her death on her husband's Facebook page Tuesday evening, writing, "She had been on hospice care for some time, but the news still comes as a shock for those of us who knew and loved her."
Paste BN has reached out to reps for Rather for further comment.
Born in Smithville, Texas, Jean met Dan Rather while working at a Houston radio station. The two married in 1957, crisscrossing the country before returning to Jean's native Texas in 2021.
"Jean was a steadfast advisor and rock of true Texas grit during every storm," the obituary posted to Rather's Facebook reads. "She was also the kind of wife who could meet presidents, kings and queens, draft dodgers, criminals, and corporate suits every day with equal ease and a stunning smile."
Jean Rather, who the obituary describes as a doting mother and steadfast partner, was also an accomplished artist in her own right. She was the painter member and vice chair of the Art Commission of the City of New York for eight years and developed a distinctive contemporary style after traveling the world to take in great artwork.
"The Rathers' travels around the world gave Jean a perspective and understanding she had never dreamed of and that at times reminded her of Cinderella at the ball," the obituary reads, "She never forgot where she came from, never lost her Texas roots, and never wavered from her fierce independence and endless creativity."
She also served on the boards of many non-profits, the obituary states, including the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, UT Press, and the Harry Ransom Center.
She is survived by husband Dan, their son Danjack and his family in New York, and their daughter Robin and her family in Austin.
Dan Rather, 93, spent decades at CBS, succeeding Walter Cronkite as host of the evening news − the last voice the nation heard before bed. Delivering news of assassinations and war, a steady-handed and frank reporting style became Rather's legacy.
In later years, as the news media fractured and the Trump era wrought a distrust of mainstream media, Rather became a voice for steadiness and truth in journalism.