Unveiling Jocelyn Wildenstein: The Catwoman’s Wild Rise to Fame!
Nearly 30 years ago, the world was captivated by the sensational saga of a billionaire socialite whose feline features sparked both intrigue and scandal. While the affluent elite and everyday readers alike were glued to the unfolding drama, Jocelyn Wildenstein found herself holding court in a Manhattan townhouse, still graced with a sliver of the lavish life she once knew.
Dubbed the ‘Bride of Wildenstein’, the then 52-year-old Jocelyn poured champagne for a New York Magazine journalist and deflected whispers about her increasingly bizarre, cat-like appearance—a change she insisted had nothing to do with cosmetic surgery.
“If I show you pictures of my grandmother, you’ll see the same cat-like eyes and high cheekbones,” she declared in 1997, dismissing speculation with a confident flair.
At that pivotal moment, Jocelyn was wrapping up her tumultuous marriage to Alec Wildenstein, a French art dealer from a lineage rumored to possess the world’s largest private collection of masterpieces—complete with vaults of paintings and whispers of a long-lost Vermeer.
Their extravagant lifestyle included a massive ranch in Kenya staffed by 366 employees, a stunning castle in France, and a sprawling 25,000-square-foot brownstone in the heart of Manhattan. But amidst the public fallout of their 21-year marriage, Jocelyn found herself confined to select rooms during designated hours—an emblem of their fractured union.
The cracks in their romance appeared early on.
Jocelyn Wildenstein in 1998, at the heart of a global divorce drama.
Alec Wildenstein, the art dealer whose life was intertwined with Jocelyn’s through their tumultuous marriage.
Alec claimed that Jocelyn’s fixation on plastic surgery ignited just a year after their 1978 wedding. They even underwent synchronized eyelifts, prompted by her frustration with his “baggy” eyes. “She was crazy,” Alec told Vanity Fair in 1998. “She thought she could fix her looks like furniture. Skin doesn’t work that way!”
Friends of the couple recalled that Jocelyn was always in recovery mode, with Alec later lamenting in court that her transformation was “scaring people.” Jocelyn, however, countered that it was Alec who had an obsession with youth and avoided “old people,” as their appearances diverged and their marriage crumbled.
In a shocking turn of events in September 1997, Alec was taken away in handcuffs, following a dispute that spiraled out of control. The couple presented different accounts of a gun incident that escalated painfully.
While Jocelyn claimed she came home to find Alec with a naked woman, leading to him brandishing a 9mm pistol, he insisted he mistook her bodyguards for intruders. Regardless, Alec faced arrest and spent 16 hours in custody.
The shadows of domestic strife and violence would taint Jocelyn’s life moving forward—through the eye-watering $2.5 billion divorce settlement, her ever-evolving appearance, questionable bankruptcies, and a tumultuous relationship with fashion designer Lloyd Klein, who was more than two decades her junior.
Tragically, Jocelyn passed away in her sleep on December 31, a victim of a pulmonary embolism. The news was confirmed by Klein, who referred to her as an “icon” even as reports debated her age—some saying she was 79, others claiming she was 84, reflecting Jocelyn’s own fondness for spinning tales about her age.
A social media sensation, Jocelyn amassed over 1.1 million followers on Instagram, where her eccentric persona was famously dubbed ‘Catwoman,’ a fitting title for a woman who embraced the wild aspects of life.
Born Jocelyn Perisset in Lausanne, Switzerland, around 1940, she was the daughter of a department store buyer and a housewife. By her teenage years, she had already set her sights on the glittering world of film, dating a Swiss producer and later making her way to Paris, armed only with her striking looks and bold spirit.
Jocelyn Perisset, the bold spirit from Switzerland whose life became a whirlwind of glamour and controversy.
Jocelyn, serving champagne while fending off rumors about her dramatic transformation.
Jocelyn’s jet-setting lifestyle fueled whispers about her past, including rumored connections to a high-end madame. When she met Alec, she was emerging from a five-year relationship with another filmmaker. Their fateful encounter occurred at his lavish Kenyan ranch, where Alec killed a lion on their first day together—a bonding ritual that involved dabbing its blood on each other’s necks and feasting on its heart. “It was a respect for the lion,” she later explained, highlighting their instant connection.
They eloped in Las Vegas on April 30, 1978, and welcomed two children. But, unsurprisingly, the fairy tale didn’t last. Their divorce would see Jocelyn walk away with a staggering $2.5 billion and an annual payment of $100 million for 13 years—a fortune that only intensified the rumors of excess.
Over the years, Jocelyn’s appearance underwent drastic alterations; her eyes stretched into a perpetual feline gaze, while her lips and cheeks took on a swollen look. Claims of her cosmetic surgery costs soared to $4 million, despite her steadfast denial of undergoing any procedures, leaving many to question the truth behind her transformation.
With a penchant for all things wild, she surrounded herself with exotic pets, including a pet lynx and a black leopard. At her famed Kenyan ranch, she even kept two tigers in a bulletproof glass enclosure.
In 2003, love found her again in the form of Klein, who played along with her narrative of natural beauty. Their relationship, however, was peppered with headlines, including a 2016 arrest following a violent altercation in her Trump World Tower apartment, where Jocelyn allegedly scratched Klein with scissors during a heated dispute.
Jocelyn with her daughter Diane, a reminder of the life she once led.
Jocelyn and Lloyd Klein, whose relationship was anything but ordinary.
Jocelyn’s mugshot following the infamous altercation with Klein.
A glimpse into the tumultuous relationship between Jocelyn and Klein.
Their relationship oscillated between love and chaos, with multiple arrests occurring, including an incident where both were charged with misdemeanor assault after a domestic dispute that left bruises and a shattered casserole dish in their apartment.
Despite her immense wealth, Jocelyn declared bankruptcy in 2018, revealing a fortune that included over $15 million in real estate and a luxury Bentley—yet she claimed to have no savings. The couple remained together and toyed with the idea of a reality TV show, highlighting their larger-than-life existence.
