Frank Gehry, one of the most influential architects of the last century, has died aged 96.
Gehry was acclaimed for his avant garde, experimental style of architecture. His titanium-covered design of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, catapulted him to fame in 1997.
His breakthrough in the architectural world came years earlier when he redesigned his own home in Santa Monica, California, using materials like chain-link fencing, plywood, and corrugated steel.
His death was confirmed by his chief of staff Meaghan Lloyd. He is survived by two daughters from his first marriage, Leslie and Brina, as well as his wife, Berta Isabel Aguilera, and their two sons, Alejandro and Samuel.
Born in Toronto in 1929, Gehry moved to Los Angeles as a teenager to study architecture at the University of Southern California, before completing further study at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1956 and 1957.
After starting his own firm, he broke from traditional architectural principles of symmetry, using unconventional geometric shapes and unfinished materials in a style known as deconstructivism.
Through blending unexpected materials and sheathing buildings in stainless steel to create curvy exteriors, Gehry created buildings that took on arresting sculptural shapes.
Later in his career, Gehry used 3D modelling similar to that used by aerospace engineers to shape windy buildings, a practice largely avoided by other architects because of the complexity and costliness of construction.
In 1989, at the age of 60, Gehry was awarded the industry's top accolade, the Pritzker Architecture prize, for lifetime achievement.
The Pritzker jury said his work possessed a highly refined, sophisticated and adventurous aesthetic.
His international breakthrough with the Guggenheim transformed the city of Bilbao, boosting tourism to the city and the local economy. The cultural phenomenon was parodied in a 2005 episode of The Simpsons.
His work in Bilbao put him in high demand, leading to designs of iconic structures worldwide, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris.
His unpredictable style and willingness to push architectural boundaries earned him admiration and respect across the globe. Tributes to Gehry are marking the profound impact he had on architecture and design.
