Zaha Hadid, the Iraqi-born British architect who designed modernist, futuristic buildings acclaimed around the world, died suddenly in a Miami hospital Thursday. She was 65.
Hadid suffered a heart attack while being treated for bronchitis, according to her firm. Christian Gibbon, general manager of her firm, confirmed that she died at Mount Sinai Medical Center on Miami Beach.
Hadid had been working in Miami on a luxury condo building, One Thousand Museum, a 62-story skyscraper of multimillion-dollar residences overlooking Biscayne Bay, with a palatial, two-story penthouse that will sell for up to $50 million.
Kurt Dannwolf, a principal at ODP Architects, a firm based in Hollywood, Fla., that was working on the project with Hadid, said she frequently spent time at an apartment on Miami Beach that she used as a "personal retreat" to get away from her busy schedule.
Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, was among the first to tweet condolences.
"So sad to hear of death of Zaha Hadid, she was an inspiration and her legacy lives on in wonderful buildings in Stratford and around the world.”
Dame Hadid (she was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012) was among the world's elite "starchitects." Born in Baghad, studied mathematics at Beirut University and moved to London to start a career at the Architectural Association in London.
She was a partner in the avant-garde Office of Metropolitan Architecture with Rem Koolhaas, and has held prestigious posts at one time or another at Harvard, Yale and many other universities.
In 1979 she set up her own company, Zaha Hadid Architects.
Her designs included the swooping aquatic center for the 2012 London Olympics; a BMW facility in Leipzig, Germany; sleek funicular railway stations in Innsbruck, Austria; and the strikingly curved Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.
"She leaves behind a body of work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars, that delight and astound people all around the world," said Jane Duncan, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, in a statement. "The world of architecture has lost a star today.”
In the USA, Hadid built the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, which opened in 2003 and was hailed by The New York Times as “the best new building since the Cold War.”
And her design for a futuristic residential building on New York's High Line elevated park has been praised for its sleek sculptural aesthetic.
She twice won Britain's Stirling Prize for architecture and in 2004 became the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, known as the "Nobel Prize of architecture."
The Pritzker jury praised her unswerving commitment to modernism and defiance of convention.
"The jury is pleased to acknowledge one of the great architects at the dawning of the twenty-first century by awarding the 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize to Zaha Hadid, to commend her extraordinary achievements, and to wish her continued success," the citation said.
Dannwolf, the Hollywood architect who had been working with Hadid's firm since 2012 on One Thousand Museum, said his entire team was devastated by the news. But he said they were thankful they had the opportunity to work with her on the building, which is currently under construction.
Dannwolf said Hadad was known by every student of architecture who are drawn in by her unique style. What fascinated him most was her ability to take designs that would normally be placed in the "theoretical" category and see them through to construction.
"It's very, very difficult to get these things built," he said. "That's why her work is really inspirational for a lot of young architects. Getting the opportunity to work with her has been a real great honor for myself personally and my whole team."
The developers of One Thousand Miami joined the chorus of those mourning Hadid's death.
"The world has just lost an amazing woman with unequaled talent," read the statement. "We are extremely honored to have known and worked with Zaha and we will continue to honor her vision."
Her many admirers and peers worldwide began tweeting at the news.
Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2010, in a piece written by famed fashion designer Donna Karan.
"To me, Zaha's womanliness is what makes her designs so compelling. She brings a female sensibility and a goddess's touch. Her work is light and lyrical, like an Asian artisan's brushstroke captured forever in the environment. Because her approach is so international, her designs are comfortable anywhere in the world.
"However you view her work, Zaha ... is a visionary. Her style is legendary now and completely original. Whether it's a building or a sofa, you know you're experiencing a unique, individual expression. Zaha is a woman and an artist of her time — and yet she is very much ahead of it too," Karan wrote.
Contributing: Alan Gomez, USA TODAY, in Miami; the Associated Press
