Jocelyn Wildenstein, a New York socialite who became known around the world as “Catwoman” thanks to her obsession with plastic surgery, has died.

Wildenstein achieved global notoriety in the 1990s when she divorced her billionaire art dealer husband Alec Wildenstein. During their headline-making split, Wildenstein was nicknamed “Catwoman” and the “Bride of Wildenstein” because of her feline-like appearance. 

Her longtime partner, Lloyd Klein, told that PEOPLE she suffered from phlebitis, which is an inflammation that causes a blood clot to form in a vein, usually in the leg.

“Because of her phlebitis, the legs were very, very swollen, and the blood was blocked, and there was no oxygen in the brain,” he said.

But Klein said that Wildenstein was in good health in recent weeks.

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

“We had a nice happy hour the same night and we were getting ready for the new year, and we took a little nap just to look good before getting dressed,” he said.

Klein told the outlet that when it was time to get ready, Wildenstein had died. 

“When I (woke) up, I said, ‘Jocelyn, we have to wake up, we have to get dressed,’ and she was cold and she was dead,” he said.

Klein said he was heartbroken by Wildenstein’s death.

“It’s extremely sad to lay down with your other half that I know for 21 years and waiting to celebrate New Year’s Eve and to find her cold,” he said.

Wildenstein’s exact age was unknown. Klein told AFP she was 79 at the time of her death, but PEOPLE and other outlets reported she was 84.

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Wildenstein told Interview magazine in 2023 that she and her former husband started amassing an art collection right after their marriage.

“I married Alec in Las Vegas in ’78, and right away we flew to Texas and started working on one of the biggest private collections in America. For 20 years we built this collection together,” she told Interview.

PEOPLE reported that she underwent plastic surgery because Alec “hate(d) to be with old people.” But Wildenstein denied altering her appearance, telling in Vanity Fair 1998: “The lynx has perfect eyes. If I show you pictures of my grandmother, what you see is these eyes — cat eyes — and high cheekbones.”

Jocelyn Wildenstein
Before and after of Jocelyn WildensteinPhoto by Sun Media Files

Alec also refuted claims that he played a part in his former wife’s enhancement obsession, telling the magazine: “I would always find out last. She was thinking that she could fix her face like a piece of furniture. Skin does not work that way. But she wouldn’t listen.”

After her split from Alec, Wildenstein, who said they spent $1 million-a-month during their marriage, landed herself a $2.5 billion settlement with an additional $100 million in annual payouts that were forked over for the next 13 years. But she filed for bankruptcy in 2018 with Page Six reporting at the time that she was forced to survive on her $900 a month in Social Security income.

“I am not employed and my only income is Social Security,” Wildenstein said in an affidavit. “I often turn to friends and family in order to pay my ongoing expenses.”

TMZ reported that Wildenstein filmed a reality series before her death.

According to the outlet, the show was centred around Wildenstein’s life as she moved from Miami to Los Angeles. After years in and out of the spotlight, Wildenstein was hoping the program would give audiences a glimpse into her life. 

The series doesn’t have a distributor, but sources told TMZ she was “happy,” “healthy,” and “a joy to work with” during filming.

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