Jocelyn Wildenstein’s Late Husband Claimed Her Plastic Surgery Procedures Ended Their Marriage

On Dec. 31, 2024, Jocelyn Wildenstein passed away at the age of 84 while taking a nap. The socialite was best known for her numerous drastic plastic surgery procedures, which earned her the nickname Catwoman. The self-described art dealer started her cosmetic surgery journey when she was married to her late ex-husband, billionaire Alec Wildenstein.

Technically, Alec was a billionaire because of his father's money, but that didn't stop Jocelyn from taking a huge chunk of it during a very cantankerous divorce. The couple was married from 1978 until 1998 and were pretty well-known amongst the wealthy elite of New York City. Alec preceded his ex-wife in death, passing away a decade after their marriage ended. Here's what we know about Jocelyn Wildenstein's late husband.

Alec's father, Daniel Wildenstein, was a French art dealer who was the third generation to preside over Wildenstein & Company. The private art dealership was founded in Paris in the mid-19th century by Nathan Wildenstein. Alec brought the prestigious business into the modern world and made his money from an enormous art collection he and his brother had stored in various vaults, per The Independent. When Nathaniel died, he left his money to Alec's children in a trust.

Jocelyn and Alec met in 1977 when she was a guest at his family's 66,000-acre Kenyan ranch, reported People. She reportedly impressed the art dealer with her shooting skills, as they hunted on the Serengeti. The following day, Alec took Jocelyn for a motorcycle ride where they shared their first kiss. After returning to Paris, where Jocelyn was already living with another man, Alec sent her enough white orchids to fill a room. They started back up again and after four dates, Alec said he knew she would be his wife.

The couple married in Las Vegas in 1978 and moved to Manhattan where they were quite reclusive, recalled a friend to People. She gave birth to a daughter followed by a son and for a while, the family seemed pretty happy. Things started breaking down sometime in the mid-1990s. Jocelyn believed it was because of Alec's father's strict control over the family money. That's also when he told his wife he wanted to see other women.

Alec also said that Jocelyn's love of plastic surgery contributed to the end of the marriage. He said that the "plastic surgery and hair transplants and tattooing'' had subjected them to ''public ridicule," per The New York Times. The art dealer also reportedly fell in love with a Russian model. Things came to a head in September 1997 when Jocelyn apparently showed up at their home only to find Alec clad only in a towel, waving a gun around while a naked blond woman ran down the hall. That wasn't the model.

According to The New York Times, after the gun incident, Alec fled the country and was a fugitive for two years. He eventually returned to the United States and pleaded guilty in September 2000. He agreed to an order of protection that forbade him from contacting Jocelyn for a full year.

Jocelyn met Lloyd Klein at New York Fashion Week in 2003, per WDSU. Although the French designer was 30 years her junior, the two connected over their love of style. The couple fought frequently and even took out restraining orders against each other. Lloyd said the arguments were mostly about Jocelyn's finances. Despite getting a hefty settlement from her divorce, she filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

Still, they stayed together until Jocelyn passed away from phlebitis. "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," Lloyd told People. "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."