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Getty Heir Found Dead In Hollywood Hills Home

by Melissah Yang

A grandson of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, Andrew Getty was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home Tuesday afternoon, according to his family. Getty's parents, Ann and Gordon Getty, confirmed the death in a written statement Tuesday night. The Los Angeles Police Department is currently investigating into what caused the 47-year-old's death.

The statement, provided by a family spokesman, read:

The family has requested that members of the media and the public respect its privacy during this extremely difficult time. Further statements will be issued as information becomes available.

The Los Angeles Times reports that an investigation into Getty's death was delayed as officials waited for a search warrant to gather evidence from his home. Authorities arrived at 2:18 p.m. local time, Cmdr. Andrew Smith told the newspaper. A woman was present at the time and was taken in for questioning, Smith said.

The newspaper also reports that court records showed Getty had sought a restraining order against a woman. A hearing in the case was scheduled for next week. It is unknown whether the woman in the restraining order is the same person who was present in Getty's home on Tuesday.

Getty is a grandson of oil industrialist J. Paul Getty, whose massive art collection led to the creation of the Getty trust, to which Getty is an heir. He is one of four sons of Gordon Getty, who himself is one of three sons of J. Paul Getty. According to Forbes, Gordon Getty has a net worth of $2.1 billion, and the Getty family is worth an estimated $5 billion.