Jean Paul Getty III (November 4, 1956 – February 5, 2011) was the first of four children of Paul Getty and Gail Harris. Getty was the father of actor Balthazar Getty and the grandson of American oil magnate J. Paul Getty, whose fortune built the J. Paul Getty Museum of Los Angeles. A notorious miser who installed a pay phone in his mansion, the elder Getty headed a family that seemed plagued by illnesses, addictions and other disasters.
In early 1971, Paul was expelled from St. George's English School in Rome, Italy. His father moved back to England, and on July 10, 1973, Paul was kidnapped. A ransom note was received, demanding $17 million in exchange for 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. In 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. Several of the kidnappers were apprehended. The group included a carpenter, a hospital orderly, an ex-con and an olive-oil dealer from Calabria. Most of the ransom money was never recovered.
In 1981, taking a cocktail of valium, methadone and alcohol resulted in a stroke which left Getty paralyzed and nearly blind. He never recovered.
He is survived by two children and six grandchildren, his mother, and his siblings, including AIDS activist Aileen Getty.
(Sources: LA Times, Wikipedia)
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