Frank Gehry, the pioneering postmodern architect celebrated for his expressive designs of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Los Angeles’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, Paris’s Fondation Louis Vuitton, and Miami’s New World Center, has died at his home in Santa Monica after a short respiratory illness. He was 96. In 2010, Vanity Fair called him “the most important architect of our age.”

Architect Frank Gehry with miniatures of his designs in Los Angeles, 1989.
Photo: Getty Images

Gehry built his formidable reputation over a career spanning seven decades, which began after he graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture in 1954. His family, of Russian-Polish Jewish heritage, immigrated from Canada to California in 1947. As a child, he spent Saturday mornings at his grandfather’s hardware store, surrounded by materials like corrugated steel and plywood that would later influence his work.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain, 1997
Photo: Getty Images

Alongside the major residential and institutional projects that defined his career, Gehry also engaged in numerous fashion and furniture collaborations. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he created the “Easy Edges” furniture series from corrugated cardboard. Later, he designed jewelry, tableware, and a chess set for Tiffany & Co.

His close ties to fashion were perhaps best embodied by the dynamic, sculptural building he designed for the Fondation Louis Vuitton (FLV). He described it as intended to “evolve with the time and light, giving the impression of something ephemeral and constantly changing.” Demonstrating the breadth of his creativity, the year before FLV opened in 2014, Gehry also launched an 11-piece handbag capsule collection for Louis Vuitton at Art Basel Miami.

Photo: Getty Images

Gehry is survived by his wife, Berta Aguilera; his sons, Sam and Alejandro; his daughter, Brina Gehry, from his previous marriage to Anita Snyder; and his sister, Doreen Gehry Nelson. He and Snyder had another daughter, Leslie Gehry Brenner, who died in 2008.

Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, architect: Frank Gehry
Photo: Getty Images

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the passing of Frank Gehry designed to answer questions from general interest to more detailed inquiries

General Information
Q Who was Frank Gehry
A Frank Gehry was a worldfamous awardwinning architect known for his bold sculptural and often metallic building designs like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

Q Is it true that Frank Gehry has died
A Yes It was confirmed on He passed away at the age of 96

Q How old was Frank Gehry when he died
A He was 96 years old

Q What was the cause of his death
A As of now the specific cause of death has not been publicly released His family has requested privacy

About His Life and Career
Q Where was Frank Gehry from
A He was born Frank Owen Goldberg in Toronto Canada in 1929 He later moved to the United States and became a citizen

Q What was Frank Gehry most famous for
A He is most famous for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain Its success was so impactful it coined the term The Bilbao Effect describing how a single building can transform a citys image and economy

Q What other famous buildings did he design
A Some other iconic works include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris the MIT Ray and Maria Stata Center and his own private residence in Santa Monica known as the Gehry House

Q Did he win any major awards
A Yes he received architectures highest honor the Pritzker Prize in 1989 He also won the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016

Understanding His Style and Impact
Q What was his architectural style called
A His work is most associated with Deconstructivism a style that breaks away from traditional boxlike shapes using fragmented forms and unconventional materials

Q Why did his buildings look so wavy and metallic
A Gehry was inspired by art sculpture and even crumpled paper He used advanced computer software to translate these