J. Paul Getty was one of the wealthiest men to ever live. He made his fortune in oil, turning a family business into a global empire worth billions. By the time he died in 1987, he was considered the richest private citizen in the world.
But for all his money, Getty was notoriously stingy. His frugality went beyond just being careful with expenses—it became the stuff of legend. He washed his own shirts to save on laundry costs. He reused envelopes and scrap paper. He even installed a payphone in his own mansion so that guests couldn’t make free calls on his dime.
Yet nothing exposed Getty’s cheapness more than what happened in 1973 when his 16-year-old grandson, John Paul Getty III, was kidnapped.
The world expected Getty, one of the richest men alive, to pay the ransom immediately. Instead, he refused—even as the boy’s captors grew desperate.
It wasn’t until they cut off his grandson’s ear and mailed it to a newspaper that he finally agreed to pay. And even then, he found a way to make the deal tax-deductible and charged his own son interest on the remaining ransom.
This is the true story of how a billionaire turned a kidnapping into a business negotiation.
A Grandson in the Shadows of a Billionaire
John Paul Getty III grew up in immense privilege, but he was largely neglected by his powerful family. His father, John Paul Getty Jr., was struggling with addiction, and his mother, Gail Harris, had separated from him.
By the early 1970s, the teenage Getty was living in Rome, where he embraced a rebellious lifestyle. He partied, drank heavily, and associated with artists and socialites. Despite his family’s wealth, he often struggled financially and even joked about faking his own kidnapping to get money from his grandfather.
But in July 1973, the joke became reality.
While walking through the streets of Rome late at night, a group of armed men grabbed him and forced him into a van. They sped away, disappearing into the Italian countryside.
Soon after, his captors—a mafia group called the ‘Ndrangheta—contacted his family. They demanded a $17 million ransom for his safe return.
Getty’s Cold Refusal
At first, when John Paul Getty Jr. heard about the ransom demand, he was in no position to pay. He had little money of his own and was mostly estranged from his billionaire father.
The family turned to J. Paul Getty Sr., the richest man in the world.
To everyone’s shock, Getty flat-out refused.
His reasoning was chillingly practical. He believed that if he paid this ransom, his other grandchildren would also become targets.
His famous response to the demand was:
“If I pay one penny now, I’ll have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.”
He dismissed the kidnappers as scammers, assuming the teenager had staged his own abduction for money.
For months, the Getty family pleaded with him to reconsider, but he refused to budge.
Meanwhile, the kidnappers held John Paul Getty III hostage in a cave in southern Italy. He was blindfolded, chained, and given little food. He later recalled that rats crawled over him as he lay in the darkness.
His captors became frustrated when they realized Getty’s grandfather had no intention of paying. The standoff dragged on for months.
By November 1973, they decided to send a message.
A Severed Ear Arrives
Desperate to get their money, the kidnappers took a knife and cut off the teenager’s right ear.
They placed the severed ear in an envelope, wrapped it in newspaper, and mailed it to an Italian newspaper, along with a lock of his hair.
Inside was a note:
“This is Paul’s ear. If we don’t get the money soon, the other ear will arrive. Then the rest of him.”
The message was clear. Pay up, or they would send the boy home in pieces.
This horrific act finally pressured Getty into action—but even then, he refused to pay the full amount.
A Business Deal, Even in Crisis
Instead of handing over the $17 million, Getty negotiated the ransom down to $3 million. He didn’t do it out of compassion—he did it to avoid spending too much money.
He then only paid $2.2 million himself. Why that number? Because it was the maximum amount he could write off on his taxes.
The remaining $800,000? He loaned it to his own son—John Paul Getty Jr.—with 4% interest.
His son, broken and desperate, had no choice but to accept the terms.
The ransom was finally paid, and on December 15, 1973, John Paul Getty III was released.
A Grandson Forever Changed
By the time Getty III was freed, he was skeletal, traumatized, and missing an ear. He had spent five months in captivity, living in filth, chained to a cave wall.
He called his mother to tell her he was safe. When she asked him how he was, his response was heartbreaking:
“I have no ear.”
Back in the U.S., his grandfather refused to meet with him. When reporters asked if he would welcome his grandson home, Getty coldly responded:
“I have 14 other grandchildren. If I see one, I’ll have to see them all.”
The ordeal left deep scars on Getty III. In the years that followed, he struggled with addiction and depression. In 1981, he suffered a massive drug overdose that left him partially blind, paralyzed, and unable to speak. He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He died in 2011 at the age of 54.
J. Paul Getty’s Legacy of Wealth and Frugality
J. Paul Getty never apologized for how he handled the kidnapping. He died in 1987 with a net worth of around $6 billion.
His frugality remained infamous. Even in his final years, he continued cutting coupons, refusing to tip generously, and micromanaging expenses.
His mansion, Sutton Place, where guests once had to use coin-operated phones, was later turned into the Getty Museum. Today, it houses one of the most prestigious art collections in the world.
But while his art collection remains celebrated, his refusal to pay his grandson’s ransom without conditions cemented his reputation as one of history’s coldest billionaires.
Final Thoughts
Most billionaires are known for extravagance. J. Paul Getty was the opposite. He spent his life hoarding wealth, cutting costs, and treating every expense as a negotiation—even when it came to his own family.
His grandson’s kidnapping revealed the extremes of that mindset. It wasn’t just about frugality. It was about power, control, and money over humanity.
Getty’s legacy lives on, not just in art museums and oil wealth, but in the chilling reality that even a billionaire’s own flesh and blood was just another business deal.
