What to Know
Online, Hilde Lynn Helphenstein was known as Jerry Gogosian, an art influencer with over 155,000 followers on Instagram. She was known for sharing memes about the art world, but the 40-year-old’s life came to an unexpected and tragic end this week when she was found dead in a Brazilian hotel room after she traveled to the country for plastic surgery. To make the circumstances of her death even more confusing, Hilde was exhibiting some bizarre behavior the day before she died.
A complaint against Hilde had been made at her hotel just hours before her death.
According to the New York Post, São Paolo local outlet Globo claimed that during her hotel stay, Hilde and her friends were reported for making “intimate demonstrations in public that evolved into a situation of partial exposure of the body, causing embarrassment to other guests.”
Originally from Oakland, California, Hilde was in town for three weeks to get plastic surgery.
She shared a strange video on Instagram that was unlike her.
The night before her death, Hilde shared a video on her Jerry Gogosian account of herself speaking directly to the camera. She she slurred her words as she told her followers that sometimes, it’s okay to “let the rich woman inside you fly.”
“I think it’s very healthy for the psyche,” she said. “You know, they say, don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want. I also just want to look at the ocean and worry about my husband going to prison for tax crimes.”
Hilde was found dead on Sunday.
Hilde’s body was found in her room at the pricy Rosewood hotel in São Paolo by her plastic surgeon, who asked the hotel staff to break into her room after he wasn’t able to get into contact with her. His instincts were correct, because Hilde was found next to broken glass, unidentified pills, and a bottle of vodka the day after she posted her unusual Instagram video.
“The Rosewood São Paulo confirms that guest Hilde Ann Lynn was found deceased on the afternoon of Sunday, May 31,” said the hotel’s statement. “Since the incident became known, the hotel has been fully cooperating with the relevant authorities, promptly providing all requested information to assist in the investigation of the facts.”
So far, more details about Hilde’s death haven’t been released, but her followers are already mourning her in the comments of her most recent posts. It’s clear that her absence is already felt.
“An important critical voice in a the art world has been lost,” one commenter wrote. “No stone unturned, unrestricted by industry politics always ready for an alternative reflection making heavy topics [light] with humor and unpopular opinions. Always a nudge to make all our ego’s a little less bloated. You will be missed.”
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