Overview
- Hotel staff discovered Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, known as Jerry Gogosian, unresponsive in her room at the Rosewood São Paulo on Sunday, May 31, after a plastic surgeon who could not reach her went to check on her.
- Reports say an empty vodka bottle, broken glass and unidentified or prescription pills were found in the room while she had been in São Paulo for about three weeks for a cosmetic procedure.
- The 78th Police Station registered the case as a suspicious death, notified the Institute of Forensic Medicine and opened an investigation with forensic tests and procedural inquiries still pending and no official cause released.
- Helphenstein launched the Jerry Gogosian persona in 2018, grew a following of roughly 145,000–151,000, produced the Art Smack podcast and The Jerry Report newsletter, and curated a 2022 Sotheby’s sale before signing with UTA Fine Arts in 2024 and later saying she would wind down the persona.
- The Rosewood São Paulo says it is cooperating with authorities, family privacy is being respected, and forthcoming forensic findings are expected to determine any legal, medical or public next steps.