Who was Jocelyn Wildenstein married to? All about her husband, partner, and kids as 'Catwoman' known for extreme surgery dies at 84

Swiss socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein passed away in her sleep in the late afternoon of December 31, 2024, at her temporary residential suite in Paris. She was 84 and seemingly succumbed to pulmonary embolism.

Her partner and fashion designer Lloyd Klein, who was with her at her death, shared the news with Agence France-Presse on January 1, 2025.

“It is with heavy heart and with great sadness that Mr Lloyd Klein announces the unexpected death of his beloved fiancée and longtime companion, Jocelyne Wildenstein,” the English-language statement read.

As per Llyod’s statement to People Magazine, she also suffered from phlebitis.

Jocelyn Wildenstein was known for getting extreme cosmetic surgeries which created a cat-like facial expression and earned her the nickname ‘Catwoman.’ She was previously married to now-deceased art dealer Alec Wildenstein and shared two children with him.

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Exploring the personal life of Jocelyn Wildenstein in the wake of her demise

Jocelyn Wildenstein, who was a skilled hunter and pilot, met her former husband Alec N. Wildenstein at a shooting weekend at the latter’s 60,000-acre family ranch “Ol Jodi” in Kenya in 1977. The duo met via a mutual friend and Saudi arms trader, Adnan Khashoggi.

They soon connected and began a romantic relationship that culminated in a Las Vegas wedding in April 1978. In 1999, the couple divorced after Jocelyn reportedly caught her husband cheating on her with a young Russian model at their New York City home. They purportedly reached a $2.5 billion settlement and $100 million each year for the next 13 years. The couple shared two kids, daughter Diane and son, Alec Jr.

Late Alec Wildenstein, who was a French-born American billionaire businessman, was an heir of one of the wealthiest families in art dealerships as well as horse racing. This and her multiple facelifts around the time of their unamicable and high-profile divorce were perhaps why Jocelyn also earned the nickname, “The Bride of Wildenstein.”

During their time together, Jocelyn and Alec were known for their extravagant lifestyle. He reportedly put pressure on her to undergo frequent plastic surgeries, while she tried to win over her husband by becoming more “feline” and reportedly spent £2m on surgeries.

However, Alec Wildenstein once told Vanity Fair how his ex-wife was “crazy” and she was always the one to “find out last” about the cosmetic procedures.

“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,” he added.

Following their divorce, Alec Wildenstein remarried Russian-born model Liouba Stoupakova in 2000. He passed away in February 2008 from prostate cancer at the age of 67 and was survived by his second wife and two kids.

Jocelyn Wildenstein began dating Canadian-born French fashion designer Lloyd Klein in 2003. Despite a brief breakup in 2016 after a physical altercation, they reunited in 2017, got engaged, and spent 21 years together, known for their fiery arguments and public romance.

Klein, 27 years younger than Jocelyn, initially pursued architecture in 1986 but switched to fashion after being inspired by a Maison Givenchy runway show. He launched his womenswear collection in 1989 and later became Creative Director at Grès, succeeding its founder, Alix Grès.

Jocelyn Wildenstein was born Jocelynnys Dayannys da Silva Bezerra Perisset into a bourgeois family in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1940, and later became a New York City socialite after marrying Alec Wildenstein.

Before that, Jocelyn Wildenstein dated Italian-French filmmaker Sergio Gobbi and spent time with him in Africa and Paris. She also dated Cyril Piguet, the Swiss producer of the 1964 film, Un commerce tranquile when she was 17.

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Jocelyn Wildenstein's last public appearance was on December 18 in Paris.