Frank Gehry, the groundbreaking architect whose sculptural designs reshaped skylines and cultural landmarks across the globe, has died at 96. He passed away on Friday, December 5, at his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness. His chief of staff, Meaghan Lloyd, confirmed his death, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The Canadian-born, California-based architect was responsible for some of the most recognizable buildings of the modern era, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
His sweeping metal structures, often compared to large-scale works of art, cemented his status as one of the most influential and visionary designers of the last half-century.
A Career That Redefined What Buildings Could Be
Gehry first gained widespread attention in the 1970s after designing his unconventional Santa Monica home, a project that helped cement his reputation as an iconoclast.
GettyHis bold approach led to global acclaim and, in 1989, the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honor.
When Vanity Fair profiled him in 2010, the magazine described him as “the most important architect of our age.”
He often spoke about pushing against design norms. “I was rebelling against everything,” Gehry told the Times in 2012, as quoted by The New York Times.
Of the minimalist styles dominating architecture at the time, he said, “I thought it was snotty and effete. It just didn’t feel like it fit into life.”
A ‘Starchitect’ With an Unfiltered Edge
Gehry became one of the first figures in his field to be labeled a “starchitect,” known not only for his boundary-breaking projects but also for his candid public presence.
In 2014, during an award ceremony in Spain, he famously flipped off a reporter whose question irritated him and dismissed “98 percent of everything that is built and designed today” as “pure s—.”
Despite the controversies, his influence reached far beyond architecture, shaping culture, tourism, and the entertainment world, where many of his buildings served as backdrops for film and television.
From Frank Goldberg to a Global Innovator
Born Frank Goldberg, he later adopted the surname Gehry, according to the NYT.
Before finding his path in architecture, Gehry spent a brief period in the Army and later enrolled at the University of Southern California. He began as a ceramics student before shifting to architecture, a decision that went on to reshape the discipline and define his career.
Gehry married his first wife, Anita Snyder, with whom he shared two daughters, Brina and Leslie. Leslie died in 2008, and the marriage ended in the 1960s.
In 1975, Gehry married Berta Aguilera, who survives him. He is also survived by his sons, Sam and Alejandro, and his daughter, Brina, from his first marriage.
