John Paul Getty III

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John Paul Getty III (born 1956) was the first of four children of Paul Getty and Gail Harris. He was the grandson of oil billionaire John Paul Getty.

He is the father of actor Balthazar Getty.

1 Kidnapping
2 Later life
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Kidnapping

At age 16, after his father had moved to England, on 10 July 1973 in Rome, he was kidnapped and a ransom of $17 million was demanded over the phone for his safe return. As Paul III was so rebelious, when the first ransom message arrived, the family suspected a ploy by the teenager to extract money from his miserly grandfather. A second demand was delayed by an Italian postal strike ^[1]. Finally, Paul III's severed ear arrived at a newspaper office, with a threat of further mutilation unless $3.2 million was paid over.

John Paul Getty II asked his father for the money, but was refused ^[2]. Finally, 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 unless $3.2 million was paid over: "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 John Paul Getty agreed to pay a ransom, subject to him negotiating the fee, and John Paul Getty II repaying the sum at 4% interest ^[3].

Still reluctant to part with the ransom, Getty senior negotiated a deal and got his grandson back for about $2 million. John Paul Getty III was found alive in southern Italy shortly after the ransom was paid. His kidnappers were never caught ^[4]

Paul III was permanently affected by the trauma, and himself became a drug addict. In 1981, Paul III was rendered speechless, blind and paralysed for the rest of his life by a cocktail of drugs and alcohol.

[edit] Later life

In 1981, Getty overdosed on drugs, resulting in a stroke which left him permanently paralyzed and nearly blind ^[5].

In 1999, Getty, along with several other members of his family, became citizens of the Republic of Ireland in return for investments in Ireland of approximately £1 million each, under a law which has since been repealed ^[6].