Swiss socialite Jocelyne Wildenstein, famously dubbed “Catwoman” due to her extensive plastic surgeries, has died at the age of 79, her partner Lloyd Klein announced on Wednesday. Wildenstein passed away in her sleep on December 31, at her Paris suite, where the couple had been residing since August.
“It is with heavy heart and great sadness that I announce the unexpected death of my beloved fiancée and longtime companion Jocelyne Wildenstein,” Klein, a fashion designer, said in a statement to AFP.
He revealed that he found her unresponsive when he tried to wake her from a nap to prepare for their planned New Year’s Eve dinner. Early medical reports indicated that Wildenstein suffered heart failure.
Born Jocelyne Périsset in Switzerland in 1945, Wildenstein rose to fame in New York’s social scene following her marriage to art dealer Alec Wildenstein. The couple had two children before their high-profile divorce in the late 1990s, which reportedly resulted in Jocelyne receiving a $2.5 billion settlement, making it one of the most expensive divorces in history. She retained the Wildenstein name after the split.
While some media outlets reported her age as 84, Jocelyne clarified in a recent interview that confusion arose from people mistaking her birth year for that of her ex-husband, born in 1940.
Wildenstein became a tabloid fixture, earning the nickname “Catwoman” for the feline-like appearance of her eyes, a result of numerous cosmetic procedures.
Her striking looks and extravagant lifestyle gained her more than a million followers on Instagram. In recent years, she split her time between New York and Miami.
Wildenstein and Klein, who was 21 years her junior, met during New York Fashion Week in 2001, where Klein was showcasing his collection. “She was a front-row guest, and after the show, we became romantically involved,” Klein said in his statement. The pair remained inseparable for over two decades.
Reflecting on their relationship, Klein described her as his “best friend, partner, and fiancée,” praising her zest for life and sharp sense of humor. Their last public appearance together was on December 23, when Wildenstein shared a video on Instagram of the couple posing outside the Ritz Paris to the tune of Wham’s “Last Christmas.”
