Jocelyn Wildenstein dies aged 84

Jocelyn Wildenstein – known as ‘Catwoman’ – has died at the age of 84, according to reports.

The Swiss-born New York socialite was well-known for her cat-like features, earning her the nickname.

According to Paris Match, Wildenstein died in a Parisian palace on Tuesday, with the outlet claiming she had suffered a pulmonary embolism.

Born born Jocelyne Périsset, she married billionaire art dealer Alec Wildenstein in 1978, and their subsequent divorce in 1999 was widely publicized.

She reportedly received $2.5 billion in the divorce, as well as $100 million per yer for the following 13 years as part of the settlement, but went on to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2018, claiming she had nothing left in her bank account.

As well as her extravagant lifestyle, Wildenstein was known for her cosmetic surgery, having had a first eye lift in the late 1970s, with some suspecting that she wanted her eyes to resemble those of a lynx, which she’d kept as a pet.

While she had admitted to having cosmetic surgery, she claimed it was nowhere near as much as was reported.

AFP shared a statement, saying: “Her partner Lloyd Klein is saddened to announce the death of Jocelyn Wildenstein in Paris.”

Wildenstein was last seen on December 18 in Paris with Klein, where she smiled at onlookers as she stepped out in a fur jacket, leggings, and boots.

The socialite, who had over a million followers on Instagram, described herself as an art dealer.

Wildenstein had previously denied having as much surgery as many believed, telling the Daily Mail in 2018: “No, especially when we look back at my pictures – I think of course I am maybe more beautiful [back then].

“When we are young there’s a certain freshness we lose with the years. But you still find the same eyes, same high cheeks, or same nose. I think I was more pretty.”

Wildenstein’s fiancé Lloyd Klein, added his opinions, stating: “I don’t understand the whole press and the Catwoman thing because [she has] always looked like that. She never really did anything to change her face. I have pictures from 16 years old where she looks exactly the same as today.”

Wildenstein was known for her striking, cat-like look. Credit: MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images

In a recent interview with The Sun, Wildenstein addressed longstanding rumors, once again claiming she’s never gone under the knife.

“I haven’t had plastic surgery. I am scared of what can happen, and I don’t like to have something heavy. Sometimes it is a bit heavy and terrible,” she stated.

Our thoughts remain with Wildenstein’s loved ones at this heartbreaking time.