Who Was Jocelyn Wildenstein? Inside the Highs and Lows of the Famous Socialite's Life

Mar. 15, 2025

Jocelyn Wildenstein discusses her engagement to Lloyd Klein at Baccarat Hotel on August 5, 2017 in New York City.Photo:Noam Galai/Getty

Noam Galai/Getty

Jocelyn Wildensteinwasn’t necessarily a household name during her life, but she had an undeniably recognizable face.

Nicknamed “Catwoman,” the New York City socialite became a tabloid fixture in the 1990s during her divorce from herbillionaireart dealer husband Alec Wildenstein, with her distinct facial features keeping her in the spotlight. Wildensteindied on Dec. 31at the age of 84.

Though she was well known during her life, she rarely spoke publicly, a choice shetoldPaperin 2018 was deliberate.

“When the children were growing, I didn’t want to speak about the family. I didn’t want it to fall back on them,” she said. “But now they are adults, so I am free and can speak freely. But before so many events happening, their godfather died, then their father died, then the divorce. So it was a lot for some 16 and 17-year-old kids. Now they’re grown up.”

Here’s everything to know about Jocelyn Wildenstein, from the start of her fame to her 2024 death

Who was Jocelyn Wildenstein?

Jocelyn Wilderstein attends the ‘Be True To Your School Prome 2000’ Celebrating the Launch of OurYearbook.com and Affiliated Websites on February 16, 2000.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty

She also had a love for Africa, describing it toNew York Magazineas “paradise” for its sense of adventure and wildlife. In 1977, when she was 31, she visited Ol Jogi, a wildlife conservancy and ranch, in Kenya and met Alec Wildenstein, partial (and later full) owner of Ol Jogi and a billionaire heir to an art dealing, horse breeding and business fortune. Jocelyn said that the night they met, they were hunting and unable to speak, but shared their first kiss. Days later, Jocelyn returned to Paris, where she was then living with another boyfriend, Italian filmmaker Sergio Gobbi, and Alec to New York, where he lived.

Jocelyn toldNew York Magazinethat she and Alec missed one another and that he sent enough white orchids to her favorite Paris salon to completely fill it and make it difficult to get inside. He visited her in Paris soon after and proposed over dinner. They married on April 30, 1978, in Las Vegas, mere months after their first meeting.

Jocelyn and Alec were together for nearly 20 years and shared son Alec Jr. and daughter Diane, with Jocelynboasting toVanity Fairthat they usually spent about $1 million every month on their lavish lifestyle.

The family flew under the radar — until Alec filed for divorce in April 1997. That September, Jocelyn alleged that she found him with aspiring Russian model Yelena Jarikova at one of their New York City homes. She told police that Alec waved a gun at her and he was arrested,The New York Timesreported. Alec was released on his own recognizance and ordered to stay away from Jocelyn and barred from entering the Manhattan home they shared. Since their split, Jocelyn gained notoriety for her face.

Why did Jocelyn Wildenstein have so much surgery?

Jocelyn Wildenstein.Mark Sullivan/WireImage

Mark Sullivan/WireImage

Alec claimed that he and Jocelyn both got some of their respective first plastic surgeries together about a year after they got married, opting for his-and-hers eye lifts, perVanity Fair. After that, Jocelyn reportedly continued undergoing procedures, later claiming that part of why she got some facelift surgeries was because Alec “hates to be with old people.”

After several procedures over the years, Jocelyn’s face earned her the public nickname of “Catwoman,” something she doesn’t necessarily dislike. However, she insisted some of her facial features are partially natural. She toldVanity Fair, “The lynx has perfect eyes. If I show you pictures of my grandmother, what you see is these eyes — cat eyes — and high cheekbones.”

“I don’t think I’ve known her when she wasn’t healing from something,” a friend of Jocelyn once said.

What happened during Jocelyn Wildenstein’s divorce?

Gerber/Corbis/VCG/Getty

Alec and Jocelyn’s divorce proceedings lasted nearly two years, and the estranged couple aired a lot of dirty laundry in court, including Alec’s allegation that Jocelyn was a courtesan for Paris' famous brothel ownerMadame Claudebefore they met (which Jocelyn denied).

At the end of the case, Jocelyn was awarded $2.5 billion, plus an additional $100 million annually for the next 13 years, according toReuters. In another uniquely Wildenstein twist, the judge in their divorce case reportedly ordered Jocelyn not to spend any of the settlement money on cosmetic surgeries.

In 2018, Jocelyn toldPaperthat her split from Alec was sad considering they had such a long and loving history together. She also blamed him for public speculation about her having plastic surgery.

“We were doing a lot of things and working in the arts together, which is a lovely job to do. We were also building a lot in Africa, so we had a great time together,” she said. “And I don’t know, you think you know a person, and then suddenly something happens and it’s not the same person at all anymore, and you have a hard time believing they could change so much. You see such a different side.”

Was Jocelyn Wildenstein married?

Lloyd Klein and Jocelyn Wildenstein attend Bungalo Universal Recording Artist Mohammad’s Debut Showcase Featuring Designer Lloyd Klein on September 18, 2013.Michael Bezjian/WireImage

Michael Bezjian/WireImage

At the time of her death, Jocelyn was engaged to her longtime love, fashion designer Lloyd Klein, though their relationship had been tumultuous in the past.

Jocelyn and Kleinbegan dating in 2003after meeting at New York Fashion Week, with Canada-born Klein telling PEOPLE that they would frequently converse in French in the early days of their relationship. Their romance got rocky around 2008, he recalled, when Jocelyn sold her New York City home and moved into a unit at the Trump Apartments. Klein alleged that Jocelyn would at times have violent mood swings, which came to a head in December 2016, when Klein claimed Jocelyn was under “financial duress.”

“She went into a rage,” Klein said, adding that Jocelyn allegedly threw a burning candle at his face, scratched him with her nails and even tried to stab him in the chest with a “small” pair of scissors.

Where was Jocelyn Wildenstein before her death?

Jocelyn Wildenstein and Lloyd Klein are seen leaving the FENDI Spring Summer 2023 Fashion Show and the celebration of FENDI’s 25th Anniversary of the Baguette during New York Fashion Week on September 09, 2022.Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

After a series of financial issues, including nearly being evicted from one of her apartments, Jocelyn filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018,according toPage Six.

In June 2023, Jocelyn toldThe Telegraphthat her lack of funds was due to being cut off from her massive divorce settlement, which she alleged had been “completely cut off” for the past eight years. She and Klein said they planned to create a documentary series about her life, with Klein having another goal as well: “I want to have a movie series on Jocelyn’s life, and I would like to haveJennifer Lawrenceas a young Jocelyn.” His choice for Alec? Fellow Oscar winnerRami Malek.

In December 2023, Jocelyn toldInterviewmagazinethat she traveled frequently from Miami to New York City, Paris and Canada, and that she obtained her commercial pilot’s license and enjoyed flying. “I had a lot of fun,” she said of her life post-divorce from Alec. “I found freedom, and instead of having to behave according to a program, I could suddenly have the freedom to appreciate it.”

How did Jocelyn Wildenstein die?

AFP andParis Matchwere the first to report that Wildenstein died on Dec. 31, 2024, days after she and Klein had shared footage of the two in Paris onInstagram.

“We had a nice happy hour the same night and we weregetting ready for the new year, and we took a little nap just to look good before getting dressed,” he said. “Because of her phlebitis, the legs were very, very swollen, and the blood was blocked, and there was no oxygen in the brain. And we were having a nap and when I wake up, I said, ‘Jocelyn, we have to wake up, we have to get dressed,’ and she was cold and she was dead.”

He went on to say that they’d celebrated a “beautiful” holiday together and that Wildenstein had been in “impeccable health” before her death.

“We were at the Ritz two days ago. We were having dinner,” he said. “Before that, we had come for Fashion Week at Chanel. Everything was good, everything was good.”

source: people.com