Jocelyn Wildenstein’s longtime partner, Lloyd Klein, has shared details about the likely cause of her passing at age 84. According to Klein, Wildenstein died peacefully in her sleep, following a battle with phlebitis, a condition described by the Cleveland Clinic as the inflammation of veins near the skin caused by blood clots.
“Because of her phlebitis, her legs were extremely swollen, and blood flow was blocked, preventing oxygen from reaching her brain,” Klein told.
“We were taking a nap, and when I woke up, I said, ‘Jocelyn, we need to wake up and get ready.’ She was cold and had passed away.” He expressed his grief, adding, “It’s incredibly sad to lose your partner of 21 years, especially as we were looking forward to celebrating New Year’s Eve together.”
Wildenstein passed away on Tuesday, December 31, in Paris while staying in a palace. According to Paris Match, Klein informed AFP that she suffered a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that obstructs blood flow to the lungs, as described by the Mayo Clinic. “An icon is gone,” Klein stated, expressing his pain over her loss.
Born Jocelyne Périsset, Wildenstein gained international fame for her extreme plastic surgeries, which transformed her appearance into a feline-like resemblance, earning her the nickname “Catwoman.” Her first surgery in the late 1970s resulted in comparisons to a lynx, inspired by the pet she once owned.
Wildenstein was also widely recognized for her high-profile marriage to billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein. The couple married in 1978 and divorced in 1999 in a legal battle that drew extensive media attention.
During their split, Alec claimed he had no involvement in his wife’s decision to undergo numerous cosmetic procedures, telling, “She was crazy. I would always find out last. She believed she could fix her face like furniture. Skin doesn’t work that way, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Jocelyn later claimed Alec orchestrated a narrative about her surgeries to gain an advantage during their divorce proceedings. In a June 2023 interview, she alleged Alec “hired a publicist and paid a plastic surgeon to claim I drastically changed my face” to win their legal battle.
Despite the controversies, Jocelyn ultimately prevailed, receiving a $2.5 billion divorce settlement, followed by an additional $100 million annually for 13 years.
After Alec’s death from cancer in 2008, Jocelyn began a relationship with Klein, whom she met in 2003 at one of his Lloyd Klein Couture fashion shows. Klein proposed to her in 2017 at the Versace Mansion in Miami.
However, financial struggles emerged in later years. In 2023, Klein revealed that Wildenstein had exhausted her funds. She confirmed to The Times that she hadn’t received payments from the Wildenstein family since 2015, which led to her filing for bankruptcy three years later.
“I have a huge problem with my settlement,” she said, explaining that she had been “completely cut off” for eight years. To address her financial issues, Jocelyn starred in her own HBO docuseries in 2023.
Wildenstein is survived by her two children with Alec, son Alec Jr. and daughter Diane.
