Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, known as Jerry Gogosian, found dead

Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, the artist, curator and art-world commentator best known for the satirical online persona Jerry Gogosian, was found dead Sunday in a luxury hotel in São Paulo. She was 40.

São Paulo police opened a suspicious death investigation after Helphenstein was found in a room at the Rosewood São Paulo, according to G1. The case was registered by the 78th Police District in Jardins, and forensic exams were requested from São Paulo’s Institute of Criminalistics and Medical Examiner’s Office.

Helphenstein built a large online following by skewering the art world’s social rituals, market absurdities, and professional anxieties through memes, commentary and interviews. Her Instagram account, Jerry Gogosian, had nearly 150,000 followers and became one of the most visible satirical art accounts since launching in 2018.

Rosewood São Paulo confirmed Helphenstein’s death in a statement to Hyperallergic, saying she was found dead in one of its rooms Sunday afternoon.

“Since the incident, the hotel has provided full collaboration with the competent authorities,” a Rosewood spokesperson said. The hotel said it provided information requested by authorities and would not comment further out of respect for Helphenstein’s privacy, her family and the investigation.

News of her death prompted an outpouring of tributes across the art world. In one widely shared post, James Payne said on his account Great Art Explained that “she was very troubled sadly and we discussed struggles with mental health."

“She contacted me three years ago and was so enthusiastic and supportive of my work. She even made a film about my book about how her cat loved it, which was so cute and funny,” Payne said. “My thoughts are with her family and friends. The art world is a little bit sadder tonight.”

Her death also sparked allegations of cyberbullying from Whitehot Magazine, an independent online contemporary art magazine.

“Congrats to ‘the art daddy’ (aka writer Anni Irish) for cyberbullying my friend @jerrygogosian and tormenting her for years on end. I hope you're satisfied. It's hard enough out here in art land without that kind of hateful behavior and literal stalking,” Whitehot Magazine alleged. “You should be fucking ashamed of yourself.”

In its post, Whitehot Magazine also criticized The Art Newspaper and Observer for publishing writing by Irish. Urgent Matter has not independently verified the allegations in the post.

Urgent Matter reached out to Irish through LinkedIn but did not receive a response by press time. Urgent Matter has also reached out to the São Paulo Secretariat of Public Security and the U.S. State Department for comment.

Helphenstein’s death was discovered after a man who identified himself as her plastic surgeon went to the hotel when he could not reach her by phone. He told hotel management she had been in Brazil about three weeks and had undergone an aesthetic procedure, G1 reported.

Hotel staff went to the room, found her unresponsive on the bed, and called Brazil’s emergency medical service, which pronounced her dead at the scene, according to a police report obtained by the outlet. An empty bottle of vodka, a glass on the floor, and pills near Helphenstein’s body were reportedly found in the room.

The man reportedly told authorities Helphenstein used drugs and that he had taken her to an emergency care unit days earlier because of a possible overdose.

Authorities have not publicly released the cause of death and have not announced whether anyone is being investigated in connection with her death.