Throughout his 5 short-lived marriages, Getty had 5 sons, who went on to father 19 youngsters. A kind of grandchildren, John Paul Getty III, was kidnapped in Italy in 1973. Requested to pay a $16m ($120m or £90m immediately) ransom, his grandfather refused, saying, “I’ve 14 different grandchildren and if I pay one penny now, then I will have 14 kidnapped grandchildren.” Getty’s 16-year-old grandson was held for 5 months and his captors minimize off his ear, sending it to a newspaper. A ransom of $2.8m ($21m or £16m immediately) was finally paid, however Getty’s contribution wasn’t disclosed.
