Hours after “Catwoman” Jocelyn Wildenstein died in Paris at the age of 84, her longtime partner Lloyd Klein broke his silence by revealing her cause of death.
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While speaking to People, Klein revealed that Wildenstein, who was known for her cat-like plastic surgery results, had died while taking a nap.
“We had a nice happy hour the same night, and we were getting ready for the new year,” Klein explained. “And we took a little nap just to look good before getting dressed.”
Klein then shared that Wildenstein had phlebitis, which is described as inflammation of a vein that may caused by damage to the vein wall or by a blood clot.
“Because of her phlebitis, the legs were very, very swollen, and the blood was blocked, and there was no oxygen in the brain,” Klein further explained. “And we were having a nap and when I wake up, I said, ‘Jocelyn, we have to wake up, we have to get dressed,’ and she was cold and she was dead.”
Klein also stated that Wildenstein’s death was “extremely sad.”
“It’s extremely sad to lay down with your other half that I know for 21 years and waiting to celebrate New Year’s Eve and to find her cold,” he noted.
Despite her condition, Klein stated that Wildenstein’s health had been “perfect” and that it did not impact their holiday festivities.
“We were at the Ritz two days ago. We were having dinner,” he pointed out. “Before that, we had come for Fashion Week at Chanel. Everything was good, everything was good.”
He noted that their holiday season was “beautiful” as well.
“We were at the Ritz. We were having parties,” Klein said. “She was in great shape. She was in impeccable health.”
Jocelyn Wildenstein Had Been Making Several TV Appearance Before Her Death
Meanwhile, Lloyd Klein said things for Jocelyn Wildenstein had been going well. She previously made a few TV appearances and was “extremely beautiful.”
“Two months ago, she attended the Chanel show,” he recalled. “Everyone invited us to dinner. Everyone welcomed her with red carpet. Paparazzi were following us. It was the return to Paris. We were at the top of our game. Everything was at the top.”
Born Jocelyne Périsse, Wildenstein made headlines in the late ‘90s for her publicized divorce from Alec Wildenstein. They had eloped in 1977 and had two children, Diane and Alec Jr.
Amid the divorce, Jocelyn claimed that she underwent her well-known plastic surgeries because her then-husband hated “to be with old people.” However, she denied her feline-like features were all because of plastic surgery.
Alec claimed that he was the “last person to know” when it came to his ex-wife’s procedures.
“I would always find out last,” he stated. “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.”
Alec Wildenstein died in 2008.
In the divorce, Jocelyn was paid $2.5 billion and $100 million annually. However, in 2015, Alec’s family stopped the payments, and Jocelyn was eventually forced to file for bankruptcy.
“I have a huge problem with my settlement,” she previously explained. “Since eight years, they have completely cut me off.”
Jocelyn had been a subject in an HBO docu-series. She also did a pilot for a reality TV show.