The 1973 abduction of billionaire oil heir, John Paul Getty III, had both these elements – plus Italian mobsters, a postmarked severed ear and wild rumors about the 16-year-old’s culpability.

On July 10, 1973, 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, grandson of billionaire J. Paul Getty was kidnapped. He was held for a hefty ransom. During his time in captivity, his ear was brutally severed.

Young Paul Getty, then 16, endured five long months held in captivity by Italian gangsters and the gruesome removal of his right ear before his grandfather agreed to pay the ransom that would set ...

J. Paul Getty III, 54, Dies; Had Ear Cut Off by Captors (New York Times) From kidnap to drug addiction: life and death of a Getty heir (The Independent) John Paul Getty III: it ends - kidnapping ...

If you thought what happened to 16-year-old John Paul Getty III in Ridley Scott’s new movie “All the Money in the World” was bad, the aftermath of his 1973 kidnapping was not much better.

John Paul Getty III’s recent death brings to a close a tragic chapter in the wealthy family’s decades-long drama of strife and eccentricity. Anthony Haden-Guest reports on their woe.

Film; Paul Getty; True story behind All the Money in the World - John Paul Getty III's kidnapping Donald Sutherland, Hillary Swank and Brendan Fraser star in Trust, the real story of how teenage ...

On July 10, 1973, when he was 16 years old, John Paul Getty III disappeared. Two days later, his mother received a ransom note asking for around $17 million dollars.

John Paul Getty III in 1973 (Image: Hulton Archive) But then Gisela and Jutta’s lives came under threat. They were told by a Mafia boss called Ciambellone he wanted to invest in a film they were ...

When John Paul Getty III was kidnapped in 1973, his captors infamously cut off his right ear. His grandfather initially refused to part with a penny of his massive wealth to help.

If you thought what happened to 16-year-old John Paul Getty III in Ridley Scott’s new movie “All the Money in the World” was bad, the aftermath of his 1973 kidnapping was not much better.