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John Paul Getty IIISon of John Paul Getty
Date of Birth: 04.11.1955
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of John Paul Getty III
John Paul Getty III, also known as Paul Getty, was born on November 4, 1956, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the eldest of four children of John Paul Getty and his first wife, Abigail Harris. He was also the grandson of oil magnate Jean Paul Getty. His son, Balthazar Getty, became an actor known for his roles in TV series such as "Charmed," "Ghost Whisperer," and "Brothers & Sisters."
Early Life and Family
John Paul Getty III spent most of his childhood in Rome, Italy, as his father was the head of the Italian division of the Getty family's oil business. His parents divorced in 1964, and in 1966, his father remarried Dutch model and actress Talitha Pol. Their marriage lasted for five years, during which they lived a bohemian lifestyle, splitting their time between England and Morocco.
Kidnapping
In early 1971, John Paul was expelled from St. George's English School in Rome. His father returned to England, while young Paul remained in Rome, leading a bohemian lifestyle. On July 10, 1973, at 3 a.m., Paul Getty was kidnapped in Piazza Farnese, Rome. The kidnappers sent a ransom note demanding $17 million for his safe return.
Some family members suspected that the kidnapping was orchestrated by Paul himself, as he had previously joked that the only way to get money from his tight-fisted grandfather was to stage his own abduction. Paul was blindfolded and taken to a mountain hideout in Calabria. The kidnappers sent a second ransom message, which was delayed due to an Italian postal workers' strike.
Paul's father, who did not have the money, asked his father, Jean Paul Getty, whose fortune was already estimated at $2 billion, but he was refused. Getty senior stated that if he paid the kidnappers, his remaining 14 grandchildren would be abducted one by one.
In November 1973, a daily newspaper received an envelope containing a lock of hair and a human ear, accompanied by threats to further mutilate Paul if the extortionists did not receive $3.2 million within ten days. Getty senior agreed to pay the ransom, but only $2.2 million, as it was the maximum amount not subject to tax. The missing money was borrowed by Getty senior's son at an interest rate of 4% per year.
Eventually, the kidnappers received around $2.9 million, and Paul was found alive in southern Italy on December 15, 1973, shortly after the ransom was paid. The police arrested nine kidnappers, including a carpenter, a nurse, a former criminal, an olive oil salesman from Calabria, and several high-ranking members of the local Mafia, including Girolamo Piromalli and Saverio Mammoliti. Two of them were convicted and sent to prison, while the others, including the Mafia members, were released due to lack of evidence. Most of the money disappeared without a trace.
Later Life and Death
In 1977, Paul Getty underwent surgery to reconstruct his ear, which he had lost due to the actions of the kidnappers. The incident served as inspiration for several writers' books.
In 1974, Paul Getty married Gisela Martine Zacher, a German woman who was five months pregnant at the time. Paul had known Gisela and her twin sister, Jutta, even before the kidnapping. When he was 18 years old, his son Balthazar was born. The couple divorced in 1993, and the events took a toll on Paul, leading him to become an alcoholic and drug addict.
In 1981, Paul Getty took a cocktail of Valium, methadone, and alcohol, which resulted in liver failure and a stroke that left him paralyzed and nearly blind. In 1999, Getty, along with several other family members, became citizens of the Republic of Ireland in exchange for investments of around £1 million each. This law was later repealed.
John Paul Getty III passed away on February 5, 2011, at the age of 54, after a prolonged illness.
