Paris, France:

Swiss socialite Jocelyne Wildenstein, also known as “Catwoman” for her extensive plastic surgery, has died at the age of 79, her partner said Wednesday.

“It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that Mr. Lloyd Klein has announced the unexpected death of his beloved fiancée and longtime partner, Jocelyn Wildenstein,” the fashion designer said in an English-language statement sent to AFP.

They added, “Mrs Wildenstein passed away peacefully in her sleep on the afternoon of December 31, 2024. In her suite in Paris where the couple had temporarily resided since August 2024.”

He said she tried to wake him up from a nap so he could get ready for dinner on New Year’s Eve, but he didn’t respond. “Preliminary reports from medics called to the scene indicated that she had suffered congestive heart failure and passed peacefully in her sleep,” Klein added.

(Born in Switzerland in 1945, Jocelyn Pariset became a New York socialite after marrying Artdale Riel Wildenstein, with whom she had two children. She adopted him after her divorce in the late 1990s.

Some media reports put her age as five years older. In a recent interview, she blamed people for confusing her with her ex-husband’s birth year of 1940.

The cosmetic surgery enthusiast, with over a million followers on Instagram, became known in the tabloids as “Catwoman” for her cat-eyed look.

She told French media in recent months that she had been living between New York and Miami.

‘2.5 Billion Dollar Divorce’

Wildenstein last posted a video of himself and Klein posing for photographers outside the Ritz Paris on Dec. 23, to the soundtrack of Whims’ “Last Christmas.”

“I never wanted to change my face,” she told French television news channel C8 this fall, although admitting she wished her lips were a little thicker.

She denied rumors that she embarked on cosmetic surgery to try to keep her ex-husband. According to Klein, he received $2.5 billion from their divorce, making it one of the most expensive at the time.

Asked if he had found love again, he said he was with Klein, who was 21 years his junior.

Klein and Wildenstein met during New York Fashion Week in 2001 when Lloyd was presenting his fashion collection on the runway, he said in his written statement.

“She was a front row guest and the two became romantically linked after the show and have been inseparable ever since.”

“Jocelyn was my best friend, my partner, my fiancee. She had a zest for life, and she had a wicked sense of humor,” he added.

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

(Tags translation) Jocelyn Wildenstein



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