Blanche d'Alpuget, the award-winning writer and widow of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, has died at the age of 82. Her family confirmed her death on Wednesday, attributing it to complications from influenza.
D'Alpuget, who was once publicly criticized and dubbed the "most hated woman in Australia" for her affair with Hawke during his first marriage, died seven years after Hawke, who served as Australia's longest-serving Labor prime minister. The couple first met in Jakarta in 1970 and later married in 1995 after Hawke's divorce was finalized.
In the months before her death, d'Alpuget spoke candidly about her views on mortality, sharing that she believed death was "glorious" once one had passed through the initial process. "Of course, dying itself, going through the fiery gate is not fun. But then, once you're on the other side, it's glorious," she told media veteran Neil Mitchell in December.
Her reflections touched on personal health scares and past traumas. In 1974, she contemplated suicide after a suspected diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, a condition she later learned she did not have. She also revealed a battle with breast cancer in 2020, undergoing chemotherapy during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to her contracting COVID and pneumonia twice.
D'Alpuget also shared a dramatic episode from her past, recounting how she once considered stabbing Hawke with a kitchen knife. This impulse arose from hurt after Hawke reportedly reneged on a promise in 1978 to leave his first wife for her, a situation she feared would derail his political aspirations. She ultimately abandoned the idea, she said, due to concerns about the impact on her young son.
Their relationship began in earnest when Hawke hired d'Alpuget to write his biography. A near-fatal plane crash involving d'Alpuget in 1993 reportedly prompted Hawke to take their relationship more seriously. They remained together until Hawke's death in May 2019 at the age of 89.
D'Alpuget's views on the afterlife were partly shaped by witnessing her mother's final moments, which she described as a serene experience. She also spoke about being raped at age 17, an event that deeply affected her first husband.
Born in Melbourne, d'Alpuget established herself as a prominent author, publishing acclaimed novels and biographies. Her 1982 biography, "Robert J Hawke: A Biography," played a role in shaping Hawke's public image prior to his ascent to the prime ministership.
Blanche d'Alpuget is survived by her son, Louis Pratt, her daughter-in-law Brianna, and her granddaughter Sienna. She also maintained close relationships with Hawke's children: Sue Pieters-Hawke, Rosslyn Dillon, and Stephen Hawke.