Innovative architect Frank Gehry dies at age 96

Famed architect and designer Frank Gehry, whose innovative designs played a key role in shaping the urban landscape of Los Angeles, has died at 96.

Meaghan Lloyd, chief of staff at Gehry Partners, LLP said Gehry died Friday morning in Santa Monica. Details about a cause of death were not immediately available.

Gehry’s death followed a brief respiratory illness, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Gehry rose to prominence in the 1970s and went on to become one of the most prolific architects in modern history. There are more that 20 Gehry-designed buildings in Los Angeles, including the shimmering Walt Disney Concert Hall, completed in 2003.

He also designed the Gehry Residence, several Loyola Law School buildings, the Spiller House and Norton House in Venice Beach, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in Long Beach and the Air and Space exhibit building at the California Museum of Science and Industry.

One of his most well-known and ambitious projects was a branch of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain that opened in 1997.

Born in Canada, Los Angeles became Gehry’s adopted hometown. He established a practice in LA in 1962.

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