Lloyd Klein, Jocelyn Wildenstein’s longtime partner, broke his silence on her death.
The 57-year-old fashion designer opened up about how she found the Swiss socialite after she died aged 84 while taking a nap on New Year’s Eve on Tuesday.
The couple, who had been engaged since 2017, had laid down for a nap together and were looking forward to ringing in the New Year together after a short break.
However, Klein said that he would wake up to discover that Wildenstein had died unexpectedly and tragically.
“He died in his sleep very peacefully,” she said. People shortly after confirmed that Wildenstein, nicknamed Catwoman for her extensive plastic surgery to resemble feline features, had died.
‘It’s very sad. It’s extremely sad. It’s very sad to be lying with your other half who I’ve known for 21 years and expecting to celebrate New Year’s Eve and finding it cold.’
Lloyd Klein, Jocelyn Wildenstein’s longtime partner, broke his silence on her death; Pictured in August 2017 in New York City.
The 57-year-old fashion designer opened up about how she found the Swiss socialite after she died at age 84 while taking a nap on New Year’s Eve on Tuesday; photographed in September 2022 in New York City
“We had a nice happy hour that same night and we were getting ready for the new year, and we took a little nap just to look nice before we got dressed,” she said as she recounted the hours leading up to her passing.
When asked about the cause of his death, he said he had phlebitis, a condition that causes a blood clot to form and block one or more veins, often in the legs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“Due to his phlebitis, his legs were very, very swollen, his blood was blocked and there was no oxygen to his brain,” he explained.
“And we were taking a nap and when I woke up, I said, ‘Jocelyn, we have to wake up, we have to get dressed,’ and she was cold and dead.”
He continued: ‘It’s very sad. “It’s extremely sad.”
Klein noted that the condition, which Wildenstein’s grandmother also suffered from, did not affect his Christmas celebrations in Paris.
He said his health had been “perfect.”
“We were at the Ritz two days ago,” he said. ‘We were having dinner. Before that, we had come for Chanel Fashion Week. “Everything was fine, everything was fine.”
Of his Christmas celebrations up to that point, he said they were ‘beautiful.’
The couple, who had been engaged since 2017, had laid down for a nap together and were looking forward to ringing in the new year together after a short break. However, Klein said that he would wake up to discover that Wildenstein had died unexpectedly and tragically; Pictured in October 2015 in New York City.
“He died in his sleep very peacefully,” she said. ‘It’s very sad. It’s extremely sad. It is tremendously sad to sleep with your other half that I have known for 21 years and expecting to celebrate New Year’s Eve and find it cold’; photographed in November 2006 in Los Angeles.
He said his health had been “perfect” until then. About his Christmas celebrations, he said they were ‘beautiful’; photographed in 2005 in New York City
We were at the Ritz. We were celebrating parties. He was in very good shape. “His health was impeccable,” he told the outlet.
He said they had been spending time together in Paris and that she was “very happy” and “on top of her game.”
He also noted that she made some television appearances during this time and looked “extremely beautiful.”
‘Two months ago, he attended the Chanel show. They all invited us to dinner. Everyone welcomed her with a red carpet. The paparazzi followed us. It was the return to Paris. We were at the top of our game. Everything was on top.”
The former billionaire and cosmetic surgery aficionado died on Tuesday in Paris from a pulmonary embolism, as previously reported.