Thom Yorke's Longtime Partner Dead at 48

Rachel Owen died of cancer on Sunday
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 20, 2016 9:07 AM CST
Thom Yorke's Longtime Partner Dead at 48
Rachel Owen   (Pembroke College)

Rachel Owen, the former longtime partner of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, died Sunday following a battle with cancer. She was 48. Owen and Yorke—parents to two children, aged 12 and 15—met as art students at Exeter University before starting a 23-year relationship that ended in August 2015, reports the Telegraph. Fans believe the breakup inspired Radiohead's latest album A Moon Shaped Pool, and especially the single "Daydreaming," with lyrics stating, "And it's too late, the damage is done ... This goes beyond me, beyond you."

Owen—who tended to stay out of the spotlight—was an artist, printmaker, and lecturer at Oxford University's Pembroke College, where she specialized in medieval Italian literature, reports Billboard. Owen, who also completed a PhD on illustrations in early versions of Dante's Divine Comedy, continued to teach despite her health struggles. Prints she created with inspiration from the Divine Comedy will be displayed at the college next year, according to an obituary. Yorke has been silent on Twitter in the days since her death. (More obituary stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X