Architect Zaha Hadid Dies at 65 in Miami Hospital

Zaha Hadid passed away from a heart attack on Thursday while hospitalized in Miami for bronchitis treatment. The Iraqi-born, London-based architect received numerous honors including the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize, becoming the first woman awarded that distinction. She also made history as the first female recipient of the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal this year. Hadid was appointed a dame in 2012 and twice won the RIBA Stirling Prize, Britain's most prestigious architecture award. Her practice created landmark structures worldwide such as the London Olympic Aquatic Centre, MAXXI in Rome, and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku. Additional notable projects include the Guangzhou Opera House in China and the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Hadid held academic positions including the Kenzo Tange Chair at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design and taught at Columbia, Yale, and the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Her other recognitions included France's Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Japan's Praemium Imperiale.