
Paul Simon's daughter tears into Richard Gere for selling childhood home to developer
Lulu Simon wrote on Instagram: 'Hate! Him!' next to a picture of the Pretty Woman actor and a link to a news story about the home being torn down in the face of anger from preservationists.
Ms Simon, 30, a pop singer, claimed that Mr Gere 'promised he would take care of the land' in New Canaan, Connecticut, when he bought it from her father in 2022.
Mr Gere sold it to a developer last year for $10.75 million and the company is planning to knock down the six-bedroom mansion, which was built in 1938 on a 32-acre plot.
In its place will be nine homes, SBP Homes has said.
In her now-deleted post Ms Simon included an image of Mr Gere, 75, surrounded by photos of her late pets.
She wrote: 'I hope my dead pets buried in that backyard haunt you until you descend into a slow and unrelenting madness.'
The rancour began in 2022 when Mr Simon and his wife Edie Brickell sold the home, which was designed by architect Harold R Sleeper, to Mr Gere.
Mr Simon had owned it for 20 years and bought it 20 years ago for $16.5 million. The home was not listed publicly and Mr Gere bought it at a discount, for just $10.8 million.
Originally Mr Gere planned to turn the estate into a farm, according to details shared with local planners in 2023.
But those plans changed in late 2024 when Mr Gere relocated to Spain with his wife Alejandra Gere, 42, with whom he has two sons Alexander, five, and James, four.
Instead they sold the property to SBP Homes which recently revealed its development plans.
In her post, Ms Simon posted herself flashing a peace sign and said: 'Just in case anyone was wondering if I still hate Richard Gere – I do!
'He bought my childhood home. Promised he would take care of the land as (a) condition of his purchase. Proceeded to never actually move in and just sold it to a developer as nine separate plots.
'Hate! Him!'
Ms Simon continued her rant with a second post about the dead pets.
Both posts were deleted around 18 hours after they were first put online.
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