'Catwoman' Dead At 84: Former Billionaire Jocelyn Wildenstein Famed For Her Extreme Plastic Surgery Passes Away In Paris From 'Pulmonary Embolism'
Former Billionaire Jocelyn Wildenstein has died aged 84 in Paris from a pulmonary embolism – weeks after being spotted on dinner date with partner.
Jan. 1 2025, Published 2:22 p.m. ET
Jocelyn Wildenstein, known to millions as 'Catwoman' due to her extreme plastic surgery, has died aged 84.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the socialite passed away on Tuesday in Paris from a pulmonary embolism.
Wildenstein was last seen on December 18 in Paris looking healthy and happy with her toyboy partner, Lloyd Klein.
Wildenstein, born Jocelyne Périsset, was in a Parisian palace at the time of her death, which was announced by her partner Lloyd Klein, 57.
She was last seen looking healthy on December 18 in the French capital when with Klein.
The star smiled at onlookers while in a fur jacket, leggings and boots as she wore black sunglasses and her blonde hair in soft waves over her shoulders.
She was nicknamed Catwoman due to her pronounced cat eyes and leonine features.
Wildenstein had over 1 million Instagram followers and described herself as an "art dealer."
Wildenstein changed her face dramatically over the years but once claimed she had never gone under the knife in her life.
This Swiss-born socialite came from humble origins, only to tie the knot in the 1970s with a French-born American billionaire.
But the two courted headlines just over two decades later with their messy divorce.
She became one of the wealthiest people on the planet after her divorce settlement, which left her with more than $2billion, plus millions more annually.
But she somehow managed to lose it all after years of tinkering with her face and spending on countless luxuries.
The high society fixture was married to the late art dealer and billionaire Alec N. Wildenstein, who was the son of the French art dealer and horse breeder Daniel Wildenstein.
Wildenstein's extreme plastic surgery proceedures were sparked by her determination to resemble a cat.
Their family presided over Wildenstein & Co., an influential Paris-based art dealership.
Jocelyn became fascinated by Africa and its fauna after finding a box of picture books about the continent when she was a child.
Later, she developed an interest in hunting and wildlife, which led her to the Wildenstein family ranch Ol Jogi, located in Kenya.
There, she was introduced on a safari to Alec by Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi arms dealer.
Jocelyn recalled how Alec decided to kill a lion that had been killing nearby antelope, so she accompanied him on a pre-dawn mission.
Wildenstein was once one of the wealthiest women in the world due to her divorce settlement but her lavish spending ate into her vast fortune.
She recounted how, after her future husband took down the lion with one shot – plus a second for good measure – they ate part of the animal as a kind of trophy and rubbed its blood on their necks.
"You must eat a part of the heart of your game," she said. "It's legend. Maybe to take the power of the lion."
But by the 90s, Wildenstein was completely unrecognizable after her face was transformed from numerous cosmetic surgeries.
They left her with slanted cat eyes, a prominent chin and exaggerated cheek bones, which some have compared to a lion's face.
Despite the obvious change in her appearance, Wildenstein at one time bizarrely claimed to have never had plastic surgery.
More recently she has owned up to having some procedures, though she still downplays its impact.
In the wake of years of over-the-top spending and seemingly unending cosmetic procedures, Alec filed for divorce in 1999, though Jocelyn has said she was the one to first decide to end the marriage due to her husband's infidelities.
Wildenstein was arrested in 2016 for slashing Klein's face with scissors during a fight at her Trump Tower apartment.
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Although he filed for divorce in Switzerland, where Jocelyn was less likely to get a significant divorce settlement, she ended up receiving what should have been a windfall – a reported $2.5billion.
On top of that, she was to be paid $100million per year for 13 years by her ex-husband, and later his estate following his death in 2008 at 67.
However, her ex-husband's family cut off the payments in 2015.
Despite obtaining more wealth than most people could ever imagine, Wildenstein managed to fritter it away through extravagant purchases on clothing, jewels, art and even tens of thousands of dollars in annual phone bills.
Following her divorce, Wildenstein began dating the fashion designer Klein in 2003.
The two later got engaged, but they have had a bumpy relationship over the years.
In 2016, Wildenstein was arrested for slashing Klein's face with scissors during a fight at her Trump Tower apartment.
Klein was subsequently arrested days later for robbery and assault after he allegedly tried to retrieve some of his belongings from Wildenstein's apartment.
But the couple later reunited.
