Oil tycoon grandson John Paul Getty III dies aged 54 (2024)

John Paul Getty III, the grandson of a billionaire American oil tycoon, has died at the age of 54.

Getty died on Saturday at his mansion in Buckinghamshire, UK, his son Balthazar confirmed on Tuesday.

He famously had his ear cut off by a gang of criminals who held him hostage in Italy for five months in 1973.

Eight years later, a drug overdose triggered a near-fatal stroke that left him a quadriplegic, virtually blind and in a wheelchair.

The cause of his death has not yet been disclosed.

Getty was born in 1956 into vast wealth as the eldest son of Sir John Paul Getty II and the grandson of John Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world.

When he was 16, he was kidnapped in Rome by a gang, who sent a ransom note demanding millions of dollars for his safe return.

John Paul Getty refused to help pay the ransom, believing it would endanger his other grandchildren. But he paid the kidnappers $2.7m five months later after they cut off the boy's ear and sent it in an envelope to a newspaper.

Tragedy struck again in 1981, when John Paul Getty III took a drugs overdose and had a stroke which left him paralysed, with only peripheral vision and severe communication problems.

From then on, he used a wheelchair and had to be looked after by his mother, Gail, and a team of carers.

His relationship with his father broke down after he refused to pay the medical bills. A judge in Los Angeles, however, subsequently ordered his father to contribute.

Their estrangement eventually ended, but in 2003 Sir John Paul Getty II left the bulk of his £200m fortune to his second son Mark.

John Paul Getty III, a father of two and grandfather of six, "never let his handicap keep him from living life to the fullest and he was an inspiration to all of us, showing us how to stand up to all adversity", Balthazar Getty, an actor, said in a statement. "We will miss him terribly."

Oil tycoon grandson John Paul Getty III dies aged 54 (2024)

FAQs

Oil tycoon grandson John Paul Getty III dies aged 54? ›

J. Paul Getty III, who was a grandson of the oil baron once believed to be the richest man in the world and who achieved tragic notoriety in 1973 when he was kidnapped by Italian gangsters, died Saturday at his home near London. He was 54.

Is Paul getty III still alive? ›

Who is the heir to Getty Oil? ›

Ivy Getty is the great-granddaughter of American oil tycoon and industrialist Jean Paul Getty. She is also an heiress to the family's vast fortune, once valued at $5.4 billion.

How old was John Paul Getty III when he had a stroke? ›

In 1981, at the age of 25, John Paul Getty III suffered a debilitating stroke after taking a Valium, methadone, and alcohol co*cktail which caused him liver failure and a stroke, leaving him quadriplegic and partially blind.

Why is John Paul Getty III in a wheelchair? ›

In 1981, he drank a Valium, methadone, and alcohol co*cktail which caused liver failure and a stroke, leaving him quadriplegic, partially blind, and unable to speak. Afterwards, his mother cared for him, and she sued his father for $28,000 a month to cover his medical needs.

Which billionaire refuses to pay ransom for grandson? ›

Paul Getty, who became the richest man in the world in 1957, had initially refused to pay his 16-year-old grandson's $17 million ransom but finally agreed to cooperate after the boy's severed right ear was sent to a newspaper in Rome.

Who controls the Getty fortune today? ›

Gordon Getty is a classical music composer, economic theorist, businessman and heir to the fortune started by his grandfather, George Getty, and built into a multi-billion-dollar empire by his father, J. Paul Getty.

Who inherited Getty's money? ›

Gordon Getty is the San Francisco billionaire scion of the late J. Paul Getty, whose oil fortune made his family among the richest in U.S. history.

Did J. Paul Getty pay ransom for Grandson? ›

When John Paul Getty III was kidnapped in Italy in July 1973, his grandfather J. Paul Getty initially refused to pay for the teenager's release. The oil tycoon agreed to turn over $2.2 million several months later and only after the kidnappers severed the boy's ear and mailed it to the family. (J.

How many girlfriends did Paul getty have? ›

By age 61, Getty had compiled a list of 100 lovers he remembered affectionately, according to Robert Lenzner's The Great Getty. Savvy businessman that he was, Getty also allegedly presented women with a document before having sex that absolved him from any financial responsibility should they became pregnant.

Where is J. Paul Getty buried? ›

Here he died at 83 from heart failure. His remains were returned to his Malibu Villa in California. Previously prepared graves in a shady spot near a bench where Getty often sat looking out over the Pacific awaited.

Who was John Paul Getty III married to? ›

What happened to Paul in Getty 3? ›

Getty III was permanently affected by the trauma and struggled with drug addiction. In 1981 a narcotics-induced stroke left him paralysed and requiring care for the rest of his life. He was taken care of by his mother until his death at his home near London on 5 February 2011, at the age of 54.

How rich was J. Paul Getty when he died? ›

Jean Paul Getty Sr.

At the time of his death, he was worth more than $6 billion (approximately $25 billion in 2023). A book published in 1996 ranked him as the 67th wealthiest American who ever lived (based on his wealth as a percentage of the concurrent gross national product.). Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

Who inherited Paul Getty? ›

Paul Getty and dad to John Gilbert Getty and six other children. Gordon is known as a composer, investor and philanthropist. After J. Paul Getty's death in 1976, Gordon assumed control of Getty's $3billion (£2.1billion) trust.

What is Balthazar getty doing now? ›

Getty has been passing the pandemic working on his first love, music, having recently collaborated on an EP with rapper Chino XL. (Getty directed the video for one track, “Ethiopia,” which features Terminator 2: Judgment Day star Robert Patrick.)

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