Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson Was Living Apart From Wife Before Death

Originally appeared on E! Online

New details are being uncovered about Brian Thompson amid the investigation into his death.

The UnitedHealthcare CEO—who was shot and killed by an unidentified assailant outside of a New York hotel on Dec. 4—had been living separately from his wife Paulette Thompson for years at the time of his passing, according to records obtained by E! News.

In 2021, Brian—whose death is being treated as a targeted attack, per the New York Police Department—recorded a new Minnesota address as his place of residence on his voter registration form, while Paulette maintained the couple’s previously shared address in the same city of Maple Grove, per her voter registration document that was submitted in 2020 and last updated in 2023. His new address was less than a mile away.

And that wasn’t the only insight into the late businessman’s life that was revealed. Back in 2017, Thompson was arrested in Minnesota and charged with Driving Under the Influence, according to arrest records obtained by E! News Dec. 5. And the 50-year-old was convicted for the misdemeanor, receiving a maximum sentence of two years probation, per the filing.

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He took over as CEO of United Healthcare a few years afterward, in 2021. The company went on to earn $16 billion last year, with Brian receiving $10.2 million in total compensation in 2023, according to The New York Times.

Following his passing, Paulette—who shares two sons with Brian—shared a heartfelt message about her husband, who was on his way to speak at an investor conference held by United Healthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, when an unidentified gunman shot him in the chest outside the New York Hilton hotel in Manhattan. He was later pronounced dead at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Hospital, and the gunman remains at large, according to the NYPD.

“Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” Paulette said in a statement obtained by NBC News. “Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed.”

And UnitedHealth Group echoed her sentiments, noting in a statement that Brian was a “highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.”

“We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time,” the organization added. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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