Is Robert Kraft Married? Does He Have a Wife?

Now that Robert Kraft is expected to be accused of soliciting a prostitute, some people are wondering: Is the New England Patriots owner married? Does Robert Kraft have a wife?

The answer is that Kraft was married for years to Myra Kraft. However, his first and only wife is deceased, and, by all accounts, her early death left Kraft heartbroken. Robert Kraft does have a girlfriend, however, named Ricki Noel Lander. That relationship appears to be complex, though.

TMZ reported on February 22, 2019 that authorities in Florida have issued a warrant for Robert Kraft’s arrest “as part of a recent prostitution, human trafficking sting operation in Jupiter, Florida.” Specifically, he is expected to be accused of soliciting a prostitute, the site reported.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Kraft’s Wife, Myra Kraft, Died of Cancer in 2011

In 2011, NFL.com and other sites reported that Robert Kraft’s wife, Myra Kraft, had died of cancer.

“Myra Kraft, the wife of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and a hard-working philanthropist dedicated to numerous causes, died Wednesday morning after a battle with cancer, the team said in a statement. She was 68,” the site reported.

“We are all heartbroken,” the team’s statement said, adding that Myra Kraft’s death was “a great loss.” According to the Boston Globe, the 2011 Patriots season was dedicated to Myra. The newspaper reported that Kraft was filled with grief after his wife died, quoting him as saying, “I sort of feel robbed. I try to stay very busy, I basically work seven days a week. I try to do new things, to meet new people.” In fact, the Globe reports, Kraft was so distraught by Myra’s death that his children worried they could lose him too as a result. In fact, he was given a medallion with the couple’s photo in it when Myra was sick.

“Myra was the picture of health,” he said to the Globe. “She weighed 98 pounds, she read four books a week, she ate healthy and exercised every day. Our plan was that she was going to outlive me by 30 years.” He also discussed how lonely he felt when Myra died.

Telegram reported before she died: “Kraft is a professional, no-nonsense leader in the New England Patriots organization who doesn’t suffer fools lightly. But she’s also a great philanthropist who doesn’t just write a tax-deductible contribution, but provides her time and name-recognition to the people and causes that are close to her heart.”

“You have to be passionate and really care. You can’t just do something because it’s the politically correct thing to do,” Kraft said to the site.

The NFL site reported that Myra Hiatt Kraft was extremely involved in charitable efforts, including the family foundation. She was on the board of various groups and “she managed the Robert and Myra Kraft Family Foundation and was president of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.”

The Krafts had multiple children together. “Devoted mother of Jonathan and his wife Patti, Daniel and his wife Wendy, Joshua and his wife Carolyn Kraft and David Kraft,” reads her obituary.

A bio on the Kraft Group says, “Robert and Myra Kraft each came from families that taught and practiced the principles of philanthropy. Fifty years ago, they began their own mission of philanthropy and taught their children the importance and value of giving back. Today, with more than $400 million in donations from the Kraft family and their foundations, the power of philanthropy has been felt by youth and families around the world by assisting programs that foster cultural diversity, education, family and health.”

Robert Kraft and his wife married in 1963 and stayed married until her death. She was the daughter of a Massachusetts businessman named Jacob Hiatt. “Her father was Jacob Hiatt, who emigrated from Lithuania in 1935. His parents, sisters, and brother remained behind and perished in the Holocaust,” reports JWA.org. Robert Kraft initially worked for his father-in-law at the Rand-Whitney Group into International Forest Products, the site notes.

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Kraft’s Girlfriend Had a Baby Recently But He Said He Wasn’t the Father

Since his wife died, Robert Kraft has basically been linked to only one woman. However, Robert Kraft’s love life is complicated. In fact, it’s so complicated that People Magazine reported that she had a baby and Kraft denied that the child was his.

According to People, in March, 2018, Kraft’s spokesperson told the magazine: “Last fall, Ricki Noel Lander became the proud mother of a beautiful, healthy baby.”

The spokesperson continued to People: “While Robert Kraft is not the biological father, he is thrilled with Ricki’s blessing of having a healthy child. With respect to her family’s privacy, we will not be commenting any further.”

People Magazine reported that the couple had dated for five years and remained together. Ricki Lander is 39 years younger than Robert Kraft. You can read more about her here. Over the years, there have been reports that the couple broke up, supposedly because Kraft didn’t want to get married again, although that was never proven.

Lander is a dancer, model and actress.

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