Philip Johnson, the famed architect who was beloved by many and condemned by others, passed away Jan. 25 at the age of 98. According to The New York Times, his death was revealed by David Whitney, his companion of 45 years.
The Washington Post reported that Johnson enrolled at Harvard University, dropping out several times before graduating in 1930. At the time, his withdrawals from the university were attributed to nervous breakdowns. However, over five decades later, Johnson told Vanity Fair magazine that the breakdowns were caused by stresses related to his homosexuality.
One reason that Johnson polarized many was because of the right-wing slant he took in the 1930s, a move that he later categorized as a mistake. The Times reported that he stopped his career to work for Louisiana Gov. Huey P. Long and also expressed a fascination with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. The German publication Deutsche Welle discussed Johnson's leanings in even more detail, mentioning how he was so hypnotized by Hitler after seeing him speak that he set up a short-lived political party in the United States that was based on the National Socialists.
American colleagues even suspected him of spying for the Third Reich.
In addition to Whitney, Johnson is survived by a sister.