Renowned Architect Frank Gehry Dies at Age 96, Known for Walt Disney Concert Hall

Renowned architect Frank Gehry has passed away at the age of 96. He died at his Santa Monica, California home on Friday, December 5, following a short respiratory illness. The announcement was confirmed by Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners LLP.

Born in Canada and later based in California, Gehry was celebrated worldwide for his groundbreaking architectural designs. Among his most famous works are the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago's Millennium Park, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. These projects are notable for their flowing, sculptural metal forms, which often blur the line between art and architecture.

Gehry gained attention in the 1970s with the design of his own unconventional Santa Monica residence. His innovative approach earned him the Pritzker Prize in 1989, the most prestigious award in architecture. In 2010, at the age of 81, he was hailed by Vanity Fair as "the most important architect of our era."

Reflecting on his career in a 2012 interview, Gehry remarked, "I was rebelling against everything," referring to the minimalist trends of some of his contemporaries. He believed such styles were detached from everyday life, calling them "snotty and effete."

Gehry was among the first architects to achieve the status of "starchitect," recognized for his daring designs, international fame, and ambitious projects. Born Frank Goldberg, he changed his surname to Gehry to avoid antisemitism.

He briefly served in the army before attending the University of Southern California, where he initially studied ceramics before committing to architecture. Gehry was married twice. He had two daughters, Brina Gehry and the late Leslie Gehry Brenner, with his first wife, Anita Snyder. He later married Berta Aguilera in 1975, with whom he had two sons, Sam and Alejandro. He is survived by Berta, his sons, and his daughter Brina.

Author: Natalie Monroe