Jocelyn Wildenstein, a New York tabloid fixture known for her surgery-enhanced feline features that led her to being dubbed “Catwoman,” has died.
Wildenstein’s partner Lloyd Klein told AFP she died of a pulmonary embolism in Paris. Though Wildenstein’s actual birthday has proven hard to track down, Klein told AFP that she was 79. Other outlets have also reported that she was 84 at the time of her death.
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The New York City socialite became a tabloid fixture in the 1990s amid her divorce from billionaire art dealer husband Alec Wildenstein. Though she was well known, she was notably nicknamed “Catwoman” due to her distinct facial features.
In an interview with People magazine, Klein shared moments from their final hours together prior to Wildenstein’s passing: “We had a nice happy hour the same night and we were getting ready for the new year, and we took a little nap just to look good before getting dressed.”
He also shared that Wildenstein had phlebitis, which is described as inflammation of a vein.
“Because of her phlebitis, the legs were very, very swollen, and the blood was blocked, and there was no oxygen in the brain,” he told the publication. “And we were having a nap and when I wake up, I said, ‘Jocelyn, we have to wake up, we have to get dressed,’ and she was cold and she was dead.”
Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Wildenstein told Interview magazine that her childhood was “fantastic” and spoke of her love for Africa. During the time of the 2023 interview she noted that there were over 2,000 animals at the Wildenstein family ranch in Kenya under protection. She also met her ex-husband in Africa. In addition to her ecological and educational philanthropy work in Africa, Wildenstein also began dealing art with her then-husband.
“I married Alec in Las Vegas in ’78, and right away we flew to Texas and started working on one of the biggest private collections in America. For 20 years we built this collection together,” she told Interview. Jocelyn shared with Vanity Fair that they usually spent about $1 million every month on their lavish lifestyle. The couple shared two children.
After nearly 20 years together, the two sparked a media frenzy with their messy divorce proceedings which last for two years. Wildenstein claimed she discovered Alec in bed with another woman. The New York Times reported that she told police that Alec waved a gun at her and he was arrested. At the time, Alec was released and ordered to stay away from Jocelyn and restricted from entering the Manhattan home they shared.
It was rumored that Alec encouraged his wife into surgeries so her facial appearance would appear more feline. People magazine also reported that Jocelyn claimed that part of why she got some facelift surgeries was because Alec “hates to be with old people.” But in a Vanity Fair interview Alec said, “She was crazy. I would always find out last. She was thinking that she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin does not work that way. But she wouldn’t listen.”
Wildenstein also alleged that Alec planted stories about her apparent surgery “and hired a publicist and paid a plastic surgeon to certify that I completely changed my face” to “win the divorce.”
At the end of their divorce proceedings, Jocelyn was awarded $2.5 billion, plus an additional $100 million annually for the next 13 years, according to Reuters.
Despite the financial reward, things eventually took a turn when in a 2023 interview with The Telegraph Wildenstein admitted she had to file for bankruptcy in 2018. She revealed that in 2015, the family of her late husband — Alec died of prostate cancer in 2008 — terminated the annual payments.
Jocelyn began dating fashion designer Lloyd Klein in 2003 though they also had their fair share of tabloid attention. Wildenstein was arrested in 2016 for slashing Klein’s face with scissors during a fight in which she also allegedly threw a burning candle at his face. The couple reconciled and in July 2017, Klein and Jocelyn told the Daily Mail they’d gotten engaged.
Amid her financial woes, Wildenstein and Klein said they planned to create a documentary series about her life.
Wildenstein is survived by her two children and Klein.
Jan. 1, 5:08 p.m. Updated with quotes from Lloyd Klein’s interview with People magazine.
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