ALBAWABA - Jocelyn Wildenstein, known as "Catwoman" due to her extensive plastic surgery, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 84.
The fashion designer said in an English-language statement, "Mr. Lloyd Klein announces the unexpected death of his beloved fiancé and longtime companion, Jocelyn Wildenstein, with a heavy heart and with great sadness."
He continued, "In her apartment in Paris, where the couple had temporarily resided since August 2024, Mrs. Wildenstein passed away quietly in her sleep on the late afternoon of December 31st, 2024."
He claimed that she was unresponsive when he attempted to rouse her from her slumber so she could prepare for supper on New Year's Eve.
"She suffered from heart failure and passed away peacefully in her sleep, according to early reports from the doctors called to the scene," Klein continued.
- Jocelyn Wildenstein Instagram profile
Jocelyn Perisset was born in Switzerland in 1945 and married art dealer Alec Wildenstein, with whom she had two children, to become a socialite in New York.
Following their contentious divorce in the late 1990s, she retained his name.
Certain media stories suggested that she was five years older than she actually was. She attributed the mistake in a recent interview to people confusing her birth year, 1940, with that of her ex-husband.
With over a million Instagram followers, the cosmetic surgery enthusiast gained notoriety in the tabloids as "Catwoman" due to the feline-like appearance of her eyes.
In recent months, she informed French reporters that she had been alternating between Miami and New York.
On December 23, Wildenstein last shared a video of herself and Klein posing for cameras outside the Ritz Paris while Wham's "Last Christmas" played in the background.
This autumn, she told French television news channel C8, "I never wanted to change my face," but she acknowledged that she could have preferred somewhat fuller lips.
She refuted reports that she tried to retain her ex-husband by undergoing cosmetic surgery.
According to Klein, their divorce was one of the most costly at the time, with her receiving US$2.5 billion.
She claimed to have fallen in love with Klein, who was 21 years her junior, when asked if she had found love again.
According to his written statement, Klein and Wildenstein "met during New York Fashion Week in 2001 when Lloyd was presenting his fashion collection on the runway."
"After that show, she was a front-row guest, and the two fell in love and have been together ever since."
"Jocelyne was my fiancé, my partner, and my best friend." He said, "She had a wicked sense of humor and a zest for life."
