By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-03 00:38:56 | Updated at 2026-06-08 01:04:34
5 days ago
Guests at one of Brazil's most exclusive hotels watched in disbelief as an American socialite and her drunken friends allegedly exposed themselves in a crowded restaurant.
Less than 24 hours later, Hilde Lynn Helphenstein was dead.
Troubling new details are emerging about the art influencer's final hours at the luxury Rosewood Sao Paulo, where she died following an undisclosed cosmetic procedure.
Helphenstein, 40, shocked guests at the hotel over the weekend while apparently drunk and high following an undisclosed cosmetic operation. Her plastic surgeon became concerned when he was unable to reach her and alerted hotel staff.
The influencer was found dead on Sunday, hours after she was said to have flashed guests and staggered around the hotel's lobby while worse for wear.
Helphenstein, known in the art world for running the satirical Jerry Gogosian social media account, posted a rambling and slurring social media video shortly before her death.
On Saturday, a complaint was filed against Helphenstein and friends for their drunken antics in one of the hotel's restaurants, according to a police report cited by Brazilian media site Globo.
The report said she and members of her group made 'intimate demonstrations in public that evolved into a situation of partial exposure of the body, causing embarrassment to other guests.'
Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, 40, was apparently found dead by her plastic surgeon at the Rosewood Sao Paulo on Sunday
The day before she was found, a complaint was against Hilde and friends for their visibly intoxicated behavior in one of the hotel's restaurants, according to a police report cited by Brazilian media site Globo. She allegedly made 'intimate demonstrations in public that evolved into a situation of partial exposure of the body, causing embarrassment to other guests'
The same night Helphenstein was accused of the inappropriate behavior, she uploaded a short speech that appeared to not entirely make sense and somewhat seemed to slur at moments
The same night, Helphenstein shared a brief video on Instagram in which she slurred her speech and made incoherent remarks.
She offered advice to her 152,000 followers that they should 'let the rich woman inside of you fly.'
Helphenstein encouraged them to get their make-up done while wearing a shawl and to invent 'things that you're worried about.'
She added that her followers should just worry and take deep breaths before slurring: 'Nicole Kidman, she has a lot of problems in every movie she's ever been in.'
The day after the upload, Helphenstein's plastic surgeon found her body after he was unable to reach her by phone.
An empty vodka bottle, prescription pills, and broken glass were also inside the hotel room, according to Brazilian media site Globo.
The surgeon told authorities that Helphenstein had been using drugs and that a few days earlier, he had taken her to a hospital because of a suspected overdose.
A cause of death has not been released, and officials have launched an investigation.
Helphenstein, who had been in Brazil for about three weeks, was an artist and creator behind the popular Instagram account Jerry Gogosian.
Helphenstein was an artist and creator behind the popular Instagram account Jerry Gogosian, which amassed more than 150,000 followers
Helphenstein, who had been in Brazil for about three weeks, appears to be wearing a bandage and have an incision on her chest from a recent post
The satire page amassed more than 150,000 followers after she created the account in 2020 while bedridden for a year with Typhus Rickettsia, a life-threatening bacterial disease.
The account often featured the artist commenting sarcastically on the art world or her personal life within the industry.
But in a deleted Instagram live video, cited by Cultured, she had also opened up about a suicide attempt, the end of her engagement, and going to rehab for internet addiction.
The socialite also published a Substack welcoming readers to dive deeper into her life beyond the 'art fairs, parties, and memes' she often posted.
Helphenstein said she celebrated five years of sobriety in the 2024 Substack.
Additionally, she co-hosted a podcast called Art Smack, published a newsletter, and had plans of starting a television show, according to Art Review.
The luxury hotel confirmed her death, according to Globo, with a spokesman telling the news site: 'Rosewood Sao Paulo confirms that the guest Hilde Ann Lynn was found dead on the afternoon of Sunday, May 31.
Another angle shows an angle of what appears to be an incision. Helphenstein's surgeon told authorities that she had been using drugs and that a few days earlier, he had taken her to a hospital because of a suspected overdose
In an upload she spoke about how she had a difficult year
'Since the observation of what happened, the hotel has provided full collaboration with the competent authorities, promptly providing all the information requested to assist in the investigation of the facts.
'In respect of the privacy of the guest, their family members and the work of the responsible authorities, the hotel will not comment on additional details at this time.'
According to public records, Helphenstein lived in Coral Springs, Florida.
