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J. Paul Getty III, grandson of the American millionaire and oil tycoon by the same name, died in England Saturday at 54.
Getty — known by the press as the “Golden Hippie” for his red locks, left-wing friends and bohemian lifestyle — achieved notoriety when he was captured in Italy in 1973. His captors cut off one of his ears, mailed it to an Italian newspaper and requested $17 million in ransom. “This is Paul’s ear,” read an accompanying note. “If we don’t get some money within 10 days, the other ear will arrive. In other words he will arrive in little pieces.”
(More on TIME.com: Minus One Ear)
Although reluctant to pay the demanded money, Getty’s grandfather reportedly gave the captors nearly $3 million for his release. Getty was dumped at a gas station, five months after his capture.
After his release, he became a serious drug and alcohol abuser and hung out with Andy Warhol’s art cohort in New York.
In 1981, Getty overdosed on drugs, leaving him paralyzed, partially blind, and unable to speak.
(More on TIME.com: The politics of terror)
He is survived by his son, actor Balthazar Getty, as well as his mother, brother, two sisters, stepdaughter, and six grandchildren and step-grandchildren.