Jean Paul Getty III has passed away (born 4 November 1956 – died 6 February 2011). He was the first of four children of Paul Getty and Gail Harris, the grandson of oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty, and the father of actor Balthazar Getty.
“J. Paul Getty III, a scion of the Getty oil dynasty whose tragedies — mutilation by kidnappers in the early 1970s and an incapacitating, drug-induced stroke in the 1980s — brought into high relief the dysfunctional relations that beset his famously wealthy family, has died in Buckinghamshire, England. He was 54. Getty, who had homes in the Los Angeles area for some years after his ordeals, died Saturday after a long illness, according to a statement from his actor-son, Balthazar.” – read more from LATimes
He is most remembered for his kidnapping. In early 1971, Paul was expelled from St. George’s English School (later St. George’s British International School), in Rome, Italy. His father moved back to England, and on 10 July 1973, Paul was kidnapped in Rome. A ransom note was received, demanding $17 million in exchange his safe return. When that ransom message arrived, some family members suspected the kidnapping was merely a ploy by the rebellious Paul, to get money from his grandfather. A second demand was received, but had been delayed by an Italian postal strike. Jean Paul Getty II asked his father for the money, but was refused. November 1973, an envelope containing a lock of hair and a human ear was delivered to a daily newspaper, with a threat of further mutilation of Paul unless $3.2 million was paid: “This is Paul’s ear. If we don’t get some money within 10 days, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits.” At this point Jean Paul agreed to pay a ransom, with his son repaying the sum at 4% interest. However, the reluctant Getty Sr. negotiated a deal and got his grandson back for about $2.9 million. Getty III was found alive in southern Italy on December 15, 1973, shortly after the ransom was paid. His kidnappers, supposedly linked with the ‘Ndrangheta, were never caught.
In 1981, a drug overdose left Getty paralyzed and partially blind. Getty spent six weeks in a coma and had been confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak since then.