So sad. Pictured above is his son, Balthazar Getty.
We’re finding out that J. Paul Getty III passed away Saturday, in Buckinghamshire, England, due to a lengthy illness.
You might remember him as the kidnapped and, terribly, mutilated victim from 1973. His grandfather, Jean Paul Getty, was an oil magnate.
Balthazar remembers his dad:
“[He] taught us how to live our lives and overcome obstacles and extreme adversity.”
That he did.
A bit about what he went through:
“At the age of 16, Getty was abducted in Rome by kidnappers who said he was being held by the Mafia. His father and grandfather, then the richest man in the world (and notoriously the cheapest, with a pay phone in his London mansion), thought it a hoax and refused to pay the $3 million requested ransom. Four months later, they received a package containing a lock of hair and a human ear.
Threatening to dismember their victim “piece by piece,” the kidnappers also sent photos of the young Getty. Eventually, the grandfather paid $2.2 million and lent his son the remainder of the $3 million ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ with interest. Getty was released on Dec. 15, 1973, his grandfather’s 81st birthday.”
Horrible, right? We definitely understand what Balthazar means when he talks about overcoming adversity.
Our hearts go out to the Getty family in these tough times!
[Image via Mavrix Online.]
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