DEATH, WEALTH & PARENTING: J. PAUL GETTY

The Getty Family in Focus


by Mike Krumboltz 
 
 
The recent death of J. Paul Getty III sparked massive interest in the Getty family, its source of wealth, and its many triumphs and tragedies.


Getty, 54 when he died, was the troubled grandson of an oil magnate and the father of actor Balthazar Getty. J. Paul Getty III was infamously kidnapped in the 1970s at the age of 16. The kidnappers demanded millions of dollars in ransom, but J. Paul Getty, his grandfather, would pay only a portion of it. The 16-year-old was tortured by the kidnappers, losing an ear, before his eventual release.

Sadly, his later life was also full of difficulties. He became addicted to drugs and suffered a debilitating stroke. At the time of his death, he was nearly blind and paralyzed below the neck.

Stories like this, while tragic, do inspire massive searches on Yahoo!. Online interest in "getty family" surged a whopping 4,032% overnight. Interest in "getty family fortune" spiked over 500%, and lookups for "getty museum" also posted triple-digit gains in Search.

Much like the Kennedy family, the Gettys have been blessed with great fortune and great misery. The grandfather, J. Paul Getty (the first) was, at the time of his death, one of the richest Americans to ever live, thanks in large part to his founding of the Getty Oil Company.

He was also well known for being frugal with his fortune. When his grandson was kidnapped and the criminals demanded $3 million in ransom, J. Paul Getty reluctantly agreed to pay only $2.2 million, because that was the maximum amount that was tax-deductible. He loaned his son the additional $800,000 at 4% interest.

J. Paul Getty III had one son, Balthazar Getty. Balthazar is a popular TV actor and has had roles on "Alias" and "Brothers and Sisters." He also starred as Ralph in the 1990 adaptation of "Lord of the Flies." He had a brief relationship with actress Sienna Miller in 2008. Yahoo! searches on "balthazar getty" and "balthazar getty photos" both jumped over 8,000% after his father's death.


Sources:

J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles Times: J. Paul Getty III dies at 54 
IMDb: Balthazar Getty 
New York Times: J. Paul Getty Dead at 83 
New York Times: J. Paul Getty III, 54, Dies