Jocelyne Wildenstein, who was known as Catwoman for her feline-like plastic surgery, has died aged 84.
The Swiss-born New York socialite died of a pulmonary embolism in Paris on New Year’s Eve, according to Paris Match.
Her death was confirmed by her partner Lloyd Klein, who said in a statement to AFP he was ‘saddened’ to announce that an ‘icon had died.’
Wildenstein first rose to fame in the 90s following her high-profile divorce from billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein.
Their 21-year marriage ended when Wildenstein walked in on her husband in bed with a Russian model.
Furious at being caught in the act, Alec, who died in 2008 aged 67, threatened Wildenstein with a gun.
She promptly filed for divorce on grounds of adultery, with Alec responding by cutting off her large allowance.
Their divorce proceedings, with revelations about the Wildenstein family’s dysfunctional relationships, became tabloid fodder.
Wildenstein was eventually awarded a $2.5billion (£1.9bn) settlement but on the condition it did not fund cosmetic surgery.
Her plastic surgery altered appearance during their divorce proceedings earned her the nickname the ‘Bride of Wildenstein’.
It was claimed Wildenstein underwent procedures to look more catlike to appease Alec, who she met on safari in Kenya and loved big cats.
The first reports that she had been under the knife were made during a 1998 Vanity Fair profile in which Alec claimed he and Wildenstein had got ‘his and her eyelifts’ one year into being married.
Speaking about his then-wife’s cosmetic work, Alec added: ‘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.’
According to the Daily Mail, she spent £2m on surgery to ‘please’ her husband and kept a Lynx as a pet. She told Vanity Fair the animal had ‘perfect eyes.’
However, as recently as November, Wildenstein denied she had been under the knife.
‘I haven’t had plastic surgery, I am scared of what can happen and I don’t like to have something heavy, sometimes it is a bit heavy and terrible,’ she told The Sun.
She added that she had never had fillers and had heard unfortunate stories from those who have.
‘I don’t like the Botox,’ Wildenstein continued.
‘Everyone has a different reaction to it. I have had Botox only twice. I don’t know if I am allergic, but when I had it, it did not go well with me. It was not a good result, my face swelled up.’
After her divorce was finalised, Wildenstein started dating fashion designer Lloyd in 2003.
In 2016, Wildenstein was arrested for allegedly slashing Lloyd’s chest with a pair of scissors.
She was charged with felony assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon and a misdemeanour assault with intent to cause physical injury. The charges were later dropped.
In a 2017 interview with The Mirror, Wildenstein admitted to ‘lashing’ out and apologised.
She said: ‘In life, we take our frustrations out on those we love the most, and I directed mine towards Lloyd. I let my frustration turn to anger, and it was wrong.
‘I saw red and turned into a woman possessed. I lashed out like an angry cat.
‘The fight with Lloyd was when I’d hit rock bottom. I felt I’d reached the end of the line and just snapped.’
The pair reunited and remained together until her death.
Wildenstein also previously dated Cyril Piguet, producer of the 1964 film Un commerce tranquille, and Italian French filmmaker Sergio Gobbi.
Despite being awarded a vast fortune in her divorce Wildenstein filed for bankruptcy in 2018. Two years later her three apartments in Trump Tower were repossessed.
Last year she also told The Telegraph she had run into further financial troubles.
‘I have a huge problem with my settlement,’ she told the publication. ‘Since eight years, they have completely cut me off.’
Wildenstein was born as Jocelyne Périsset in Lausanne, Switzerland on 5 August 1940. Her father Armand Périsset worked in a sporting goods store and her mother Liliane Périsset was a housewife.
She is survived by her two children with late husband Alec and partner Lloyd.
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