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Who was Jocelyn Wildenstein? ‘Catwoman’ known for extreme plastic surgeries, dies at 79
Jocelyn Wildenstein was a Swiss socialite who was famous for her surgically altered cat-like appearance
Swiss socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein has died aged 79, her partner confirmed on Wednesday. She was known as “catwoman” due to her surgically altered feline appearance. In addition to her extensive and extreme surgeries, she was also famous for her high-profile divorce from a billionaire art dealer in 1999.
‘Catwoman’ Jocelyn Wildenstein dies at 79
“It is with heavy heart and with great sadness that Mr Lloyd Klein announces the unexpected death of his beloved fiance and longtime companion Jocelyne Wildenstein,” the fashion designer said in a statement to AFP. He added that the socialite died “peacefully in her sleep.” Klein tried to wake her up from a late afternoon nap on December 31 to get ready for New Year's Eve dinner. However, she was unresponsive.
“Mrs Wildenstein died peacefully in her sleep in the late afternoon of December 31st, 2024 in her... suite in Paris where the couple had taken temporary residence since August of 2024,” the 57-year-old continued, adding, “Early reports from the doctors called to the scene indicate that she had endured heart failure and passed peacefully in her sleep.”
Wildenstein (nee Perisset) was born in Switzerland in 1945. She became a New York socialite following her marriage to Alec Wildenstein. While the couple shared two children, they had a messy divorce in the late '90s. She received a staggering $2.5 billion in alimony and $100 million annually to settle the divorce, making it one of the most expensive divorces at the time.
Her messy divorce earned her the nickname “The Bride of Wildenstein.” She even kept his name after parting ways. As some media reports gave her age as five years older, she blamed the confusion on people mixing up her birth year with that of her ex-husband, 1940. Wildenstein boasted over a million followers on Instagram as she became famous for her cat-like appearance.
Klein and Wildenstein “met during New York Fashion Week in 2001 when Lloyd was presenting his fashion collection on the runway,” the French couturier said in his statement. “She was a front-row guest and after that show the two became romantically involved and had remained inseparable since that time. Jocelyne was my best friend, my partner, my fiance. She had a zest for life, and had a wicked sense of humour,” he added.
