Thom Yorke's ex longtime partner Rachel Owen died from cancer

Sad news from Radiohead's headquarters. Dr. Rachel Owen, who has been for 20 years the romantic partner of the band's frontman Thom Yorke (and the mother of his two children), died on Sunday after a battle with cancer. She was 48 years old.

According to an obituary posted to the website of Pembroke College, University of Oxford (she taught there as a Retained Lecturer in Italian), the woman's health had been declining for the last year. But, despite her illness, she continued teaching up until recently.

She was An expert in medieval Italian literature and received a PhD on the illustrations of the early manuscripts of Dante’s "Divine Comedy". She was also a renowned artist and printmaker, who recently staged an exhibit of prints inspired by the Cantos of "Divine Comedy".

Owen and Yorke were partners for 23 years and had two children together, a son named Noah and a daughter named Agnes. Despite Yorke’s superstar status, Owen lived an extremely private life and was rarely seen in public with the Radiohead singer.

The couple split in August 2015 and the demise of their relationship heavily influenced Radiohead’s latest album, "A Moon Shaped Pool".