Architect Dame Zaha Hadid, known for designs such as the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games and the Riverside museum in Glasgow, has died from a heart attack aged 65.
She contracted bronchitis while in Miami earlier this week and died in hospital this morning, her company said.
Zaha Hadid was made a Dame in 2012 ( John Stillwell/PA)
In a statement it said: “It is with great sadness that Zaha Hadid Architects have confirmed that Dame Zaha Hadid, DBE died suddenly in Miami in the early hours of this morning.
“She had contracted bronchitis earlier this week and suffered a sudden heart attack while being treated in hospital.”
In 2012 Dame Zaha was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to architecture.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, Dragons’ Den star Kelly Hoppen and Culture Minister Ed Vaizey led the tributes on Twitter.
So sad to hear of death of Zaha Hadid, she was an inspiration and her legacy lives on in wonderful buildings in Stratford & around the world
— Boris Johnson (@MayorofLondon) March 31, 2016
Deeply saddened by the news of Zaha Hadid's death. She was an iconic architect who pushed the boundaries to another level xx #ZahaHadid
— Kelly Hoppen MBE (@kellyhoppen) March 31, 2016
Stunned to hear that the brilliant architect Zaha Hadid has died – she made a huge contribution to contemporary architecture
— Ed Vaizey (@edvaizey) March 31, 2016
Earlier this year the Royal Institute of British Architects announced that Dame Zaha would receive the 2016 Royal Gold Medal.
She is the first woman to be awarded the honour – personally approved by the Queen – in her own right.
Speaking in February on BBC Radio 4′s Desert Island Discs, the 65-year-old said: “I don’t really feel I’m part of the establishment.
“I’m not outside, I’m on the kind of edge, I’m dangling there. I quite like it.”
She designed the London Aquatics Centre (John Stillwell/PA)
She added: “I’m not against the establishment per se. I just do what I do and that’s it.”
In the UK, Dama Zaha’s most recognisable works also include Cardiff Bay Opera House while, globally, her notable designs include Guangzhou Opera House in China and the Vitra Fire Station in Germany.
Jane Duncan, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, described news of Dame Zaha’s death as “absolutely terrible”.
Dame Zaha in front of the Serpentine Sackler gallery in Hyde Park that she designed (Philip Toscano/PA)
She said: “Dame Zaha Hadid was an inspirational woman, and the kind of architect one can only dream of being. Visionary and highly experimental, her legacy despite her young age, is formidable.
“She leaves behind a body of work from buildings to furniture, footwear and cars, that delight and astound people all around the world.”
People have been paying tribute by sharing some of her most famous buildings.
Sad to hear of the passing of one of the worlds greatest architects, Zaha Hadid. Her designs are an inspiration. pic.twitter.com/6kdLGh0612
— Ciarán Foy (@citadelfoy) March 31, 2016
“Architecture is like writing. You have to edit it over and over so it looks effortless.” —RIP Zaha Hadid pic.twitter.com/GoPGjchzR1
— Zachary Petit (@ZacharyPetit) March 31, 2016
RIP Zaha Hadid. She was the first woman to win architecture’s esteemed Pritzker prize. pic.twitter.com/x4tvEJfntU
— Pedraum Pardehpoosh (@pedraum) March 31, 2016
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