(NEXSTAR) — Jocelyne Wildenstein, the Swiss socialite who rose to prominence after her 1997 divorce from billionaire Alec Wildenstein and later, because of her various cosmetic procedures, has died at the age of 84, according to multiple international outlets.
Wildenstein's partner, designer Lloyd Klein, told French international news outlet AFP that Wildenstein died of a pulmonary embolism in Paris, as reported by Paris Match and Daily Mail. Klein added that she died inside a Parisian palace, according to Paris Match.
Wildenstein was born Jocelynnys Dayannys da Silva Bezerra Périsset on August 5, 1940 in Lausanne, Switzerland. According to an MSN feature, she moved to Paris with boyfriend Swiss movie producer Cyril Piguet when she was 19 and began mingling with people in the arts and entertainment industries.
Through her various explorations of Africa, which Wildenstein previously called "paradise," she met her husband Alec Wildenstein, himself from a prominent European family, on a safari in 1977, Vanity Fair reports. The two eloped the next year in Las Vegas.
Over the years, Jocelyne developed notoriety in the press for the various cosmetic procedures she underwent. The surgeries to her face became increasingly feline, leading press to (perhaps cruelly) dub her "Catwoman." Vanity Fair reported in 1998 that even friends speculated that Wildenstein was trying to look like a cat because she was so fond of African cats, especially the lynx.
“The lynx has perfect eyes,” Jocelyne to VF, who denied trying to look like an African cat. "If I show you pictures of my grandmother, what you see is these eyes — cat eyes — and high cheekbones.”
The Wildensteins filed for divorce in 1997, after Jocelyne reportedly caught Alec with a Russian model and he reportedly pulled a gun on her, according to the New York Times. The divorce wasn't finalized until 1999, when Jocelyne was ultimately awarded $2.5 billion, in addition to $100 million per year.
Jocelyne began dating fashion designer Klein in 2003, according to Interview magazine, and told the outlet that her post-divorce life was filled with fun.
"I found freedom, and instead of having to behave according to a program, I could suddenly have the freedom to appreciate it," said Wildentstein.
Wildenstein, who also worked as an art dealer, had over 1 million Instagram followers, many of whom replied to her account's most recents posts with messages of love. In a tribute on Instagram Wednesday, Mel Ottenberg, editor-in-chief of Interview, who covered Wildenstein over the years and interviewed her in 2023, wrote: "The great Jocelyne Wildenstein has left this realm... What a star, she was so fun."
Wildenstein had two children with ex-husband Alec, Diane and Alec Jr. Two weeks ago, Klein posted a video of he and Wildenstein enjoying the Christmas season in Paris, as the two arrived at a residence, they held hands and smiled.
