Cold Blooded

Being born with a silver spoon in one's mouth is no guarantee of a good life nor a good family.

From WaPo...

J. Paul Getty III, an oil-fortune heir known as the "golden hippie" whose kidnapping in Italy at 16 made international headlines and whose captors severed his ear when his family didn't initially pay his ransom, has died. He was 54.

His kidnappers sent word that they wanted $17 million, an amount J. Paul Getty Sr. refused to pay. "I have 14 other grandchildren," he said, "and if I pay one penny now, then I'll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren."

...If Mr. Getty's kidnapping had revealed intergenerational tensions among the Gettys, his new medical needs exposed gaping rifts. He needed $25,000 a month for around-the-clock nursing care. His father, who had become extraordinarily wealthy after the 1976 death of Getty Sr. refused to help pay.

A California judge forced Getty Jr. to assist his son. "I think Mr. Getty should be ashamed of himself," the judge said at the time. "He is spending far more on these legal details than it would cost him to measure up to his moral and legal obligations."

Rest in peace Mr. Getty.