What was Frank Gehry’s net worth at the time of his death? Architectural visionary's fortune revisited following his passing at 96

Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, who is known for his works like the titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, passed away at 96. Gehry Partner LLP chief of staff Meaghan Lloyd confirmed that he died on Friday - December 5, 2025 - in his home in Santa Monica after suffering from a brief respiratory illness. 

Frank Gehry was worth $100 million at the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth. His fortune primarily comes from his architectural projects, royalties, teaching, and dozens of global design works.

Gehry's designs shared some of the major cultural sites across the world. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain is just one of his earliest breakthroughs. 

He also created the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Foundation Louis Vuitton museum in Paris, the 8 Spruce skyscraper in New York, and the Dancing House in Prague.

His golden fish sculpture, the El Prix d'Or, is also a must-see for tourists in Barcelona, as well as the sculptural style of white plaster and titanium-zinc alloy that is the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. 

The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be Frank Gentry's last major cultural building. The building is reportedly yet to be completed, but construction is expected to be finished by the end of the year and the museum is expected to open sometime in 2026. 

Frank Gehry's net worth and financial legacy, explored

There's heightened curiosity over Frank Gehry's fortune and his financial legacy following his death at 96. He was one of the richest architects globally at $100 million at the time of his death. In Arch20's compiled list of the world's richest architects, Norman Foster earns the most at $240 million.

But Gehry is not far from the list as he sits in the second spot at $100 million alongside others like Moshe Safdie and Santiago Calatrava. 

The empire Frank Gehry left behind includes his architectural work, intellectual property, and his firm, Gehry Partners, LLP. While most of Gehry's works involved massive, iconic buildings, he also did plenty of collaborations.

He worked with Tiffany & Co. on jewelry collections and worked with Louis Vuitton for a special-edition piece for its monogram celebration. He also designed furniture lines and designed the trophy for the World Cup of Hockey in 2004.

He also designed his first yacht in 2007 in collaboration with the German shipyard German Frers. Gehry designed Foggy, a boat for Richard Cohen. 

Frank Gehry is survived by his second wife, Berta Isabel Aguilera, and his three children. Gehry and Aguilera have two sons, Alejandro and Samuel. Meanwhile, he shares daughter Brina Gehry with his first wife, Anita Snyder.

They also had another daughter, Leslie Gehry Brenner, who died from intervene cancer in 2008. 

Frank Gehry was born Frank Owen Goldberg, but changed his surname to Gehry in 1954 at his wife's insistence to make his name sound less Jewish and avoid being a victim of anti-Semitism.