Kidnapping of John Paul Getty III

Date: July 10, 1973 • Location: Rome, Italy

John Paul Getty III, a grandson of the American oil magnate J. Paul Getty, was kidnapped in Rome.

John Paul Getty III was a grandson of the American oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, who was once the richest man in the world. While living in Rome in 1973, he was kidnapped by the 'Ndrangheta, an Italian criminal organization based in Calabria, and held for a $17 million ransom. His grandfather initially refused to pay, but, after John Paul Getty III's severed ear was received by a newspaper, his grandfather relented to a new, lower demand, and Getty was released five months after being kidnapped. Getty subsequently developed an addiction to alcohol and other drugs, leading to an overdose and stroke in 1981 at the age of 25, which left him severely disabled for the rest of his life.