View gallery
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed on the morning of Wednesday, December 4, 2024, just hours before his company’s annual investor conference in New York City. The 50-year-old executive was attacked around 6:45 a.m. outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, located on Avenue of the Americas near 54th Street, and later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Thompson’s death shocked both the business world and the healthcare industry, where he had built a decades-long career and served as CEO for three years. He is survived by his wife, Paulette “Pauley” Thompson, and their two children.
Find out more about Paulette and their family below.
Who Is Paulette Thompson?
Brian’s wife, Paulette, was born in Webster City, Iowa. She works as a physical therapist with Park Nicollet Health Services and earned a Master of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Iowa, where Brian also attended college.
Do They Have Kids?
Brian and Paulette raised two young sons together in the family’s $1.5 million home in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
According to the Daily Mail, her work bio states, “I love spending time with my two boys and taking them to all of their activities. I also enjoy boating, spending time with family and friends, playing piano, biking, and traveling. I am dedicated and passionate about well-being and want to make a difference in other people’s lives. I love helping people recover from injuries and giving them a sense of empowerment over their health, so they can live their lives to the fullest—getting them back to their baseline, or in some cases, surpassing it.”
What Did She Say After Brian’s Death?
Following the news of her husband’s fatal shooting, Paulette told NBC News, “There had been some threats” against her husband.
“Basically I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details,” she said. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now,” she continued. “I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children.”
JUST IN: The wife of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson says he had received threats leading up to the sh**ting in Manhattan.
New developments reveal that the suspect had a silencer and escaped through Central Park.
“There had been some threats,” Paulette Thompson said.
When… pic.twitter.com/7JRoWqUFpy
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 4, 2024
In a statement to CNN on Wednesday, she said, “We are shattered to hear about the senseless killing of our beloved Brian. Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives. Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed.”