The Swiss-born socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein died on Tuesday 31 December in Paris from a pulmonary embolism. According to her husband, she passed at the age of 79, with some outlets reporting her age was 84.
Jocelyn was known by the nickname ‘Catwoman’ due to her surgery-enhanced feline features. She was often a feature on New York tabloids because of her changing appearance and her divorce from billionaire Alec Wildenstein.
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Her husband broke the news
Jocelyn Wildenstein’s husband, Lloyd Klein broke the news to the world via a statement to AFP, with the outlet writing, “Her partner Lloyd Klein is saddened to announce the death of Jocelyn Wildenstein in Paris aged 79.”
“An icon has left us,” the outlet reported.
She was seen healthy on December 18.
The icon who often also wrote her name as ‘Jocelyne’ had made a public appearance with her husband Klein on December 18, where she looked healthy only two weeks before she passed away.
Jocelyn smiled and waved at those waiting to see her, wearing an outfit as stunning as she always appears.
Jocelyn was a known personality
The Swiss socialite whose maiden name is Jocelyne Périsset often described herself as an art dealer. In addition, she was known across social media and the entertainment scene, with 1 million followers on Instagram alone.
She was also known for her pronounced cat-like features which earned her the nickname ‘Catwoman’.
Her marriage to Wildenstein was well-known
The socialite had tied the knot with the French-born American billionaire Alec Wildenstein in the 1970s with their divorce making more headlines than their marriage.
She had been married to the art dealer billionaire for 20 years before they got divorced.
Jocelyn became one of the wealthiest
Following her divorce settlement, the ‘Catwoman’ became incredibly wealthy with more than $2 billion in settlement and millions more to receive annually.
Though Jocelyn eventually claimed she had gone bankrupt and no longer had the billions she had once held.
She was also known for her interest in animals
The socialite had also once shared her fascination with Africa and the animals that live there following her reading multiple picture books about the continent as a child, according to The Times of London.
Her interest in wildlife led her to the Wildenstein family ranch Ol Jogi, located in Kenya where she met Alec Wildenstein.
Jocelyn shared her first hunt with Alec
Speaking about the time she went out with Alec for a hunt, Jocelyn recalled how he shot a lion that had been killing nearby antelope.
Following the hunt and at the time when they had both only been introduced to one another, they ate part of the animal as a sort of trophy.
The socialite recalled her time in Kenya
In talking about the time she spent in Kenya, the ‘Catwoman’ wrote in a post, “My early years at Ol Jogi building this beautiful ranch from scratch before having my children, This was my first love story with Africa and it started here at #oljogi.”
The icon clearly loved the time she spent in Kenya.
By the 90s she had looked different
Due to the drastic change in her appearance by the time it was the 90s, the photo of her time in Kenya – which seems to have been in the late 70s or early 80s – makes her seem almost unrecognizable.
The changes in her appearance left her with cat-like eyes, exaggerated cheekbones, and a prominent chin.
She started dating Klein in the 2000s
By 2003, Jocelyn was dating the fashion designer Lloyd Klein and was engaged to him two years later. While the two had a few bumps in the relationship, they were happily married until she passed on 31 December 2024.
The ‘Catwoman’ will be remembered for her mark on the entertainment industry and beyond.