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Obituary
April 18, 2003
LONDON -- Sir J. Paul Getty Jr., the reclusive third son of billionaire American oilman J. Paul Getty, died Thursday (April 17, 2003) in Britain, the country he adopted as his homeland and lavished with his philanthropic gifts. He was 70.
Mr. Getty, a reformed drug addict who donated more than $200-million to a variety of causes, died in London Clinic, where he was hospitalized Monday with a recurrent chest infection, Dr. John Goldstone said.
"He may have been born in the United States, but he was truly a British citizen," said Theresa May, chairwoman of the Conservative Party, which received $8-million from Mr. Getty.
Mr. Getty did not hesitate to praise Britain in the rare public statements he made, explaining his philanthropy as his debt to his adopted country.
"I think that since I've lived here and been happy here for such a long time, I think it's my duty here," he said. "I certainly don't intend to live in America again. I intend to be buried here."
Mr. Getty was given the honorary title of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1986 for services to charity, but could not be called Sir Paul then because he was not a British citizen.
He was invested with full honors in 1998, a year after changing his citizenship, and became known in Britain as Sir Paul.
"When I heard the national anthem played, I felt very proud to be British -- it's my national anthem now," Mr. Getty said after his investiture at Buckingham Palace. "I love Britain's way of life. I love its people. I love its history and I love its future."
Mr. Getty's larger donations include $63-million to the National Gallery in London and $32-million to the British Film Institute.
"He was the most important single benefactor the BFI has had in its history," said Adrian Wootton, the institute's acting director. "Without him, much of our work wouldn't be possible. . . . He was a very passionate man about art, film and, of course, cricket, which he loved more than anything."
Ironically, Mr. Getty also helped prevent precious art such as Antonio Canova's statue, The Three Graces, from being bought by his father's pride and joy, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Mr. Getty's passion for the English bat and ball game of cricket spurred him to give thousands of dollars to cricket clubs and install a cricket ground at his Buckinghamshire estate.
In other philanthropic deeds, he paid to rescue a family of seals caught in a storm, bought a mansion for needy children and gave a grand piano to a concert pianist who did not own one.
After subsidizing the families of striking miners in 1985, he said he was "privileged to be the heir to huge wealth, and I regard myself as custodian of that money for the benefit of people who need it more than I do."
Mr. Getty is survived by his wife, Victoria, and his five children -- John Paul III, Ariadne, Aileen, Tara and Mark.