As reported by the publication “Art Review,” 40-year-old Californian Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, known online under the pseudonym Jerry Gogosian, was found dead on Sunday in her room at the Rosewood hotel in São Paulo by her plastic surgeon after she did not answer calls.
It is reported that next to the body there was an empty bottle of vodka, a broken glass on the floor, and unidentified pills.
H.L. Helphenstein spent three weeks in São Paulo, where she was recovering after an aesthetic procedure.
Her surgeon told law enforcement authorities that he had previously taken her to the hospital for a possible overdose and claimed that she was using certain substances.
The official cause of death has not yet been announced, but the police have registered the incident as a “suspicious death.”
A hotel spokesperson told the publication “Hyperallergic”: “The hotel is fully cooperating with the competent authorities and promptly providing all requested information to assist the investigation.”
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They added that out of respect for “the guest and their family members’ privacy and the work of responsible authorities,” they will not comment further on the situation.
H.L. Helphenstein, originally from Oakland, California, created the J. Gogosian persona as a satire mocking the excess and commercialization of the contemporary art world.
On the social network Instagram, she had at least 150,000 followers.
A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, she hosted the podcast “Art Smack,” served as editor-in-chief of the newsletter “The Jerry Report,” and collaborated with well-known names such as Phillips, Playboy, and Sotheby’s.
In her last Instagram posts, shared just a few hours before her death, she shared witty advice and enjoyed her time in Brazil.
