Jocelyn Wildenstein, New York socialite known as ‘Catwoman’, dies

Jocelyn Wildenstein, New York socialite, has passed away at age 79. She is known by the nickname “Catwoman” for having undergone several plastic surgeries to achieve a feline appearance. The information of her death was confirmed by her husband, Lloyd Klein, this Wednesday (1st).

Klein told AFP she died of a pulmonary embolism in Paris. Although Wildenstein’s exact date of birth is difficult to confirm, Klein told AFP that she was 79 years old. Other outlets reported that she was 84 years old at the time of her death.

The socialite became a fixture in New York newspapers in the 1990s during her divorce from her husband, billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein. She was nicknamed “Catwoman” due to the features of her face, which resembled those of felines.

Born in Switzerland, Wildenstein did philanthropic work in Africa and, after getting married, began dealing in art with her then-husband. She shared with Vanity Fair that they used to spend around $1 million every month on their lavish lifestyle. The couple had two children.

Rumors said that Alec encouraged his wife to have surgery to make her facial appearance more feline. People magazine also reported that Jocelyn stated that part of the reason she had some facial surgeries was because Alex “hates being around old people.”

But in an interview with Vanity Fair, her ex-husband said: “She was crazy. I always found out last. She thought she could fix her face like furniture. Skin doesn’t work like that. But she wouldn’t listen.”

In 2010, a report from Sheet said that the socialite had spent around US$4 million on plastic surgery to achieve a feline appearance.

Wildenstein began dating fashion designer Lloyd Klein in 2003. They said they planned to create a documentary series about his life.

She leaves behind her two children and her partner.