TV star Richard Zachariah dies - just four months after death of his iconic fashion model ex Maggie Tabberer

‘Beautiful' Tabberer died at the age of 87 in December. The star, whose cause of death was not announced, started her career as a model and later became a household name through her work in television and the media.

It is reported that Zachariah died aged 80 on Wednesday, (April 9), but his cause of death has not been revealed.

At the height of her fame, in the 1980s and 1990s, Tabberer and Zachariah were one of Australia’s most stylish celebrity power couples. They even co-presented ABC's lifestyle television series, The Home Show, at that time. It was a ratings hit.

The TV series ended as they ended their ten-year relationship, with Zachariah later commenting that people crossed the street to avoid him after reading about his part in their split because “breaking up with Maggie was like breaking up with the Queen Mother”.

Zachariah left Sydney, the city where the pair had lived together, and met a new partner called Sarah, who he reportedly and a quieter life in South Australia. He was one of Australia’s most well-known journalists, broadcasters and television hosts.

His work took him around the world, and he also lived in Melbourne and London, UK, at different times. In more recent years, he and Sarah lived on a vineyard and horse breeding property in the Adelaide Hills.

He was also the author of several books including Zachariah, in which he spoke about about his decade-long relationship with Tabberer and the reality of life inside the celebrity world.

Family and friends are invited to his funeral which will be held at the Eastern Park Chapel in Warrnambool, Victoria, on Wednesday April 23 at 2pm, followed by an interment at Ellerslie Cemetery.

Fans have posted tributes to him on X. One declared he was “a giant of Australian media”.