‘A TRUE TEXAN’

‘Saddest of Days’: Dan Rather’s Wife of 67 Years Dies at 89

Dan and Jean Rather met while working at a Houston radio station.

Newscaster Dan Rather is mourning the death of his wife, Jean Rather, the artist to whom he was married for 67 years. According to a statement from a family friend, the 89-year-old died from cancer in the couple’s Austin home, having been “on hospice care for some time.” The Rathers met while working at a Houston radio station, though she would go on to pursue a career in visual art, creating paintings and collages that “were shown in galleries and private collections across the United States,” according to her obituary. She also served as the vice chair of the New York City Art Commission and held board positions at several nonprofits. “Jean lived a full life as an incredible wife, mother, friend, and artist—and a true Texan," the statement says, noting that “today is the saddest of days for Dan and the extended Rather family.”