G. von Bismarck | German family heir, 44

Count Gottfried von Bismarck, the stylish and troubled scion of one of Germany's most famous families, has died at the age of 44, police said yesterday.

Police said Count Bismarck, great-great-grandson of Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who unified Germany, was found dead at his apartment in London's tony Chelsea district on Monday.

As an undergraduate, he was known for his lavish parties and extravagant appearance, which at times involved dressing in fishnet stockings or traditional Bavarian lederhosen.

His life was clouded by two deaths at his homes. In 1986, Olivia Channon, the 22-year-old daughter of a Conservative government minister, died of a drug overdose in Bismarck's bed at Oxford.

Count Bismarck - who was not in the bed at the time - was not implicated in the death.

He eventually settled in London, working in finance and the telecom business. He remained out of the headlines until August, when a 38-year-old man, Anthony Casey, died after falling from a terrace during a party at the count's home. - AP