Billionaire 'Catwoman' Jocelyn Wildenstein Dies

Billionaire socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein, famed for plastic surgery that some said made her resemble a cat, has died in Paris. According to Lloyd Klein, her partner, Wildenstein died of a pulmonary embolism, according to CNN.

Wildenstein "was a staple of New York tabloids for much of her adult life, due to her tempestuous love life, drastically changing appearance and the hefty payout she received in her divorce from an art world bigwig," CNN said.

Born Jocelyne Périsset, Wildenstein became fascinated with Africa as a child, reports recalled. It was on safari in Africa that she met billionaire husband Alec Wildenstein in 1977. In 1998, thanks to their divorce, she became a billionaire in her own right, reportedly receiving a sum of up to $2.5 billion at the time plus $100 million annually until 2015, when Alec Wildenstein's family stopped the flow of funds following his death in 2008.

But the wealth didn't last. CNN recalled that her lavish spending took its toll. One example: Wildenstein reportedly added a "bulletproof enclosure for two tigers... to a property that reportedly included 200 buildings staffed by over 300 servants." Wildenstein "eventually claimed she'd gone bankrupt, having depleted her billions," the outlet said.

Wildenstein's age was uncertain; CNN noted that "Klein told AFP that she died at age 79, while other outlets reported that she was 84 at the time of her death."

The Swiss-born socialite "often downplayed the extent of her cosmetic procedures," CNN went on to add, "claiming the 'cat eyes' she was so infamous for were a family trait, or that different hairstyles changed the way she looked."

"Occasionally, though, she gave a winking tidbit to journalists who, well, needled her about her procedures."

In one such tidbit, CNN relayed, "she reportedly told photographer Zed Nelson in 2006" the following: "If you feel good with your imperfections, with your aging, then you should do nothing. Otherwise, it's all about choosing the right doctor."

CNN noted that Wildenstein had a "love for big cats," while UK newspaper the Daily Mail reported that she "reportedly had many facial cosmetic procedures in the hopes of resembling a cat..."

But her purported affection for the animals didn't stop her from Wildenstein on a hunt to kill a lion that had, the Mail said, been preying on antelope on land belonging to a neighbor. After Alec Wildenstein took down the animal (Jocelyn claimed he did it with a single shot), the two ate raw meat from its body and smeared themselves with its blood in celebration.

"You must eat a part of the heart of your game," the Mail quoted Wildenstein as saying. "Maybe to take the power of the lion."

Wildenstein was famed for her haute couture outfits as well as her appearance, wealth, and headline-grabbing domestic life. She became involved with Klein, a designer three decades younger than herself, after the two "met at New York Fashion Week in 2003," the Mail detailed, adding that in 2016 "Wildenstein was arrested for slashing Klein's face with scissors during a fight at her Trump Tower apartment..."

Still, in a statement to the press, Klein eulogized Wildenstein as grandly as she had lived.

"An icon has left us," Klein declared.