Designer of Chicago skyscrapers dies

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CHICAGO, March 9 (UPI) -- Bruce Graham, the architect responsible for the design of two of Chicago's most iconic skyscrapers, has died at his Florida home, his son said.

He was 84, George Graham said, and died Saturday of complications from Alzheimer's disease, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Graham penned the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, and the John Hancock Center, the X-braced symbol of Chicago's industrial influence.

The Willis was the world's tallest building from 1973 to 1996, and remains American tallest skyscraper, the newspaper said.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, Graham was the top architect at Chicago's largest architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Graham was born in 1925 and grew up in Puerto Rico, speaking Spanish as his first language.

He came to the United States in the 1940s and earned his architecture degree in 1948 from the University of Pennsylvania.

Three children, a sister, and six grandchildren survive him, the Tribune said.