Socially Prominent Getty Heir Reveals Secret Second Family

SAN FRANCISCO - Gordon P. Getty, philanthropist, composer, family man, San Francisco socialite and heir to his father's oil fortune, has secretly kept a second family in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

The Los Angeles branch, hidden from public life and living under a different last name, consists of three girls and their mother, the Getty family has confirmed through a spokesman. The Southern California clan is now in negotiations with Getty for inheritance rights from the man once listed by Forbes magazine as the richest in America, a source close to the family said.

The existence of the second Getty family only recently came to the attention of his San Francisco family: four adult sons and Ann, his wife of more than three decades.

In a statement approved by Gordon and Ann Getty, Gordon Getty said: "Nicolette, Kendalle, and Alexandra are my children. Their mother, Cynthia Beck, and I, love them very much. The most important concern is that the children's needs be addressed with a minimum of disruption, and this will be our first priority. The Getty family has been fully supportive throughout this situation, and for that, I am very grateful."

Getty is sailing in Europe and could not be reached for comment. A lawyer for the trust said Getty would return in about a week. The statement had been drawn up a few months ago by the Gettys, fearing the news would become public.

A source close to the family confirmed Getty's claim of family support: Ann Getty is not considering divorce.

The sources declined to describe Getty's family's reaction, but said they learned of the affair when an outsider discovered and exposed the dual life to them.

Gordon Getty, 64, the son of the late oil baron J. Paul Getty, has a fortune estimated at $2 billion, Forbes magazine reported last year. He and his family fill the society columns of San Francisco newspapers, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, from President Clinton to television star Don Johnson, whose wedding the Gettys hosted in April at their Pacific Heights mansion. Mayor Willie Brown presided at the ceremony.

In a family that has seen more than its share of troubles, including divorce and drug overdoses, some have said that Gordon Getty was the most stable and sensible of J. Paul's surviving four offspring.

According to an article last year in People magazine, Gordon Getty "writes opera, donates millions to scientific research and the arts, and loves fine Bordeaux, the San Francisco 49ers and Ann Gilbert, his wife of 33 years." In another interview, Getty suggested that he probably donates about $5 million a year to charity.