Prominent architect I.M. Pei dies at 102

Architect I.M. Pei was mourned around the world on Friday after dying at age 102 on Thursday in New York. Pei, the Chinese-American son of a banker, became a globe trotting architect whose designs connected past and present and smartly balanced culture and social realities.

Pei's son Chien Chung Pei confirmed the death of the Pritzker Architecture Prize winner.

Carter Wiseman, who authored I.M. Pei: A Profile in American Architecture, said Pei was interested in "the sculptural properties" of strangely shaped and hollow rocks that constitute an important part of classic Chinese gardens.