Jocelyn Wildenstein would have died at the age of 84. The Swiss socialite was known both for her extensive and extreme plastic surgeries and her highly publicized 1999 divorce from a billionaire art dealer.
Jocelyn's partner, Lloyd Klein, said AFP that she died Tuesday of a pulmonary embolism in a Parisian palace, according to the Daily Mail. Paris Match also reported the news.
Jocelyn was born Jocelyne Périsset in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1940. In 1977, she eloped with Alec Wildenstein. They shared two children, Diane and Alec Jr.
The couple separated in 1997 in a headline-grabbing divorce that was finalized two years later. The tabloids dubbed Jocelyn “The Bride of Wildenstein” and “Catwoman” due to her extremely surgically altered appearance. Alec, who died in 2008, ultimately paid his ex-wife $2.5 billion as well as $100 million a year to settle the divorce.
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During their divorce, Jocelyn claimed to have undergone numerous cosmetic procedures because of her husband, who she said “hates being around old people.” But she also denied that her feline features were entirely due to plastic surgery. She said Vanity Fair in 1998, “The lynx has perfect eyes. If I show you photos of my grandmother, what you see are these eyes – cat eyes – and these high cheekbones. » She also told the outlet that she spends $1 million every month on her family's lifestyle.
Alec had a different view and spoke to the outlet about his surgeries, saying: “I would always find out last. She thought she could arrange her face like a piece of furniture. Skin doesn't work that way. But she didn't want to listen.
Once the divorce was finalized, Jocelyn tried to stay out of the spotlight. “I’ve never been public. It’s not my nature,” she said Sunday time in 2023. She also criticized Alec for planting stories about her plastic surgery and trying to paint her as a “monster” to “win” the divorce.
Jocelyne said The Times that year, she would be the subject of an upcoming documentary as well as a reality show – decisions she made after running out of money. “I have a huge problem with my regulations,” she explained. “For eight years, they have completely cut off my income. » In 2018, she filed for bankruptcy and her three luxury apartments in Trump Tower were repossessed.
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Since 2003, Jocelyn had a relationship with fashion designer Klein. Klein said Interview Magazine in 2023: “She's known for plastic surgery, but I don't know if that's what she should be known for because she's done a lot of amazing things in her life. Major, major, major achievements,” highlighting his philanthropic efforts.
She said InterviewThen, about his life after the divorce, “I had a lot of fun. I found freedom, and instead of having to behave according to a schedule, I could suddenly have the freedom to enjoy it. »
At times, Klein and Jocelyn's relationship was on-again, off-again. In 2016, Jocelyn and Klein broke up after calling the police during a fight. He was charged with, among other things, assault, and she was also charged with two counts of assault. Their charges were both dropped in 2017 and they reconciled.
In the days before Jocelyn's death, she and Klein posted on Instagram about their vacation to Paris.
Jocelyn is survived by Klein and her children.
