Jackie Siegel has opened up about the tragedy of losing her billionaire husband and little sister within just days of each other.
The “Queen of Versailles” star lost her husband, timeshare magnate David Siegel, on April 5. Then, on April 8, she announced that her younger sister, Jessica Mallery, died from an accidental drug overdose.
“It comforts me to know that she was there to greet him,” Jackie, 59, told Us Weekly. “Now I know I have extra guardian angels and guidance.”
Jackie, who was the subject of the 2012 documentary “The Queen of Versailles” and its 2022 sequel reality series, “Queen of Versailles Reigns Again,” told the outlet that she can sometimes “feel” her late husband and sister following their heartbreaking deaths. She called it “that special touch.”
“Sometimes I feel them, because when you get gut feelings, like, ‘Should I do this?’ or, ‘Should I turn left or should I turn right?’ It’s like, ‘I think I’ll turn right’ and then you get goosebumps,” the socialite added. “So I have that special touch right now.”
David was the founder and executive chairman of the timeshare resort company Westgate Resorts and lived in one of the most expensive homes in the US. He passed away earlier this month at 89.
“I wanted to personally reach out and let you know that my husband, David Alan Siegel, passed away this morning,” Jackie, who married David in 2000, said in a touching Instagram post on April 5.
“I was lucky enough to share twenty-five wonderful years with David, and together we raised eight incredible children,” she added. “His life and legacy live on through them all.”
Three days later, the actress announced that her sister, Jessica Mallery, died following an accidental drug overdose caused by fentanyl-laced cocaine. She was 43.
“As I mourn the profound loss of my beloved husband David Siegel, who passed away on April 5 at the age of 89, my world was shattered again yesterday by the unexpected loss of my beautiful sister, Jessica Mallery, 43,” Jackie shared in a statement via her Victoria’s Voice Foundation, the nonprofit founded in honor of her late daughter, Victoria, who died of a drug overdose at the age of 18 in 2015.
“To a scourge we as a family sadly know too well — accidental drug overdose,” her statement continued. “Jessica died after using cocaine laced with fentanyl.”
Jackie revealed that her late sister is “still saving lives” by donating her organs to help others.
“We felt comfort in donating her organs,” the model explained. “Within two days, they donated seven of the critical organs that saved lives. That’s why I’m saying my life is expanding — it’s not just lives from education of fentanyl, but also to have people be aware about how important donating organs is.
“She’s going to be able to help 60 people,” Jackie added. “She’s touching so many people’s lives. She’s still saving lives even after death. So was my husband, still, just both in different ways.”
The “Queen of Versailles” star also remembered her sister as a “free spirit” who “loved people” and gave her “inspiration” in her own life.