Jocelyn Wildenstein Death: ‘Catwoman’ Socialite Turned 84

Jocelyn Wildenstein has reportedly died aged 84. The Swiss socialite was known for both her extensive and extreme plastic surgery and her high-profile divorce in 1999 from a billionaire art dealer.

Jocelyn’s longtime partner, Lloyd Klein, told AFP that she died of a pulmonary embolism in a Parisian palace on Tuesday, per Daily Mail. Paris Match also reported the news of her death. Klein did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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. 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 annually to settle the divorce.

During their divorce, Jocelyn claimed that she had undergone so many cosmetic procedures because of her husband that she said she “hates being around old people.” But she also denied that her cat-like features were all due to plastic surgery. She told Vanity Fair in 1998, “The lynx has perfect eyes. If I show you pictures of my grandmother, what you see are these eyes—cat eyes—and high cheekbones.” She also shared that she spends $1 million every month to maintain the family’s lifestyle.

Alec had a different perspective on her surgeries, claiming to the outlet: “I always wanted to find out last. She thought she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin doesn’t work that way. But she wouldn’t listen. ”

Once the divorce was finalized, Jocelyn tried to stay out of the limelight. “I’ve never been in public. It’s not my nature,” she said Sunday Times in 2023. She also blamed Alec for planting stories about her plastic surgery and trying to paint her as a “monster” to “win” the divorce.

Jocelyn told The Times the year she was to 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 settlement,” she explained. “Since eight years they have completely cut me off.” Back in 2018, she filed for bankruptcy and her three luxury apartments in Trump Tower were repossessed.

Since 2003, Jocelyn has been in a relationship with fashion designer Klein. Klein told Interview Magasinet in 2023, “She’s known for plastic surgery, but I don’t know that’s what she should be known for because she did a lot of incredible things in her life. Big, big, big accomplishments,” highlighting her philanthropic efforts.

She told Interviewthen of her life after the divorce, “I had a lot of fun. I found freedom, and instead of having to behave according to a program, suddenly I could have the freedom to appreciate it.”

At times, Klein and Jocelyn’s relationship was on-again-off. In 2016, Jocelyn and Klein split after she called the police during a fight. Among other things, he was charged with violence, and she was also charged with two cases of violence. Both their charges were dropped in 2017 and they settled.

In the days before Jocelyn’s death, both she and Klein wrote about holiday in Paris on Instagram.

Jocelyn is survived by Klein and her children.