Jocelyn came from a poor family and ended up paying a large divorce settlement. She reportedly received $2.5 billion.
Jocelyn Wildenstein, the Swiss-born socialite known for extensive plastic surgery that earned her the nicknames “Catwoman'' and “Wildenstein's Bride,'' has died at the age of 84.
Her partner, Lloyd Klein, confirmed to AFP that she died of a pulmonary embolism in Paris. Klein said he passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 31, 2024.
Ms. Wildenstein, who sometimes spelled her name “Jocelyn,” was a frequent presence in New York tabloids.
She often made headlines for her dramatic love life, changes in appearance, and the large divorce settlement she received from a prominent art dealer. She later claimed to be bankrupt.
Jocelyn has downplayed the extent of her cosmetic surgery, saying that her “cat eyes” are a family trait and that her appearance changes with a different hairstyle, but when asked about it, she occasionally reveals I gave a cheeky reply.
In 2006, she told photographer Zed Nelson: Otherwise, it’s all about choosing the right doctor,” CNN reported.
Jocelyn Wildenstein's wild transformation
During a safari trip in Kenya, Jocelyn met her husband, Alec Wildenstein, the son of French art dealer and horse breeder Daniel Wildenstein.
A year later, she married him in Las Vegas. Then she embarked on a cosmetic adventure to look more like a big cat, apparently to please Alec.
She denied doing any work, but her husband said: vanity fair: “She was crazy. I always find out in the end. She thought she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin doesn't work that way. But she had an ear to listen. I didn't have any.
According to According to the Guardian, their messy divorce was overshadowed by rumors Alec spread alleging that he was working as a bodyguard for Madame Claude, a famous brothel owner in Paris.
From poor roots to multi-billion dollar divorce settlement
Jocelyn came from a poor family and ended up paying a large divorce settlement. She received what was supposed to be a windfall – a reported $2.5 billion.
In addition, after her ex-husband died in 2008 at the age of 67, she was to be paid $100 million a year for 13 years by her ex-husband and his subsequent estate, Mail Online reported.
After her ex-husband's family stopped paying her in 2015, she used up all her money through excessive spending, even though she had more than most people could imagine.
She splurged on things like plastic surgery, clothes, jewelry, and art. Jocelyn was also racking up huge phone bills totaling tens of thousands of dollars a year.
By 2018 she filed for bankruptcy.
At the time, the Sunday Times reported that Jocelyn's checking account had a balance of $0. Despite this, she still owned millions of dollars in assets, mostly real estate. Her three luxury apartments in Trump Tower were also foreclosed on.
Jocelyn claimed in June 2023 that she had no income for eight years and was left penniless after her ex-husband's family cut off her $100 million annual divorce settlement.
She claimed she had no money, adding: “Zero, nothing for eight years.”
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