Brad Pitt Let His 105-Year-Old Neighbor Live on His Sprawling Estate Rent Free

Brad Pitt

Photo: arp/Depositphotos

When you buy a house to live in, you typically expect to be the new (and only) resident of an empty estate. But in the case of actor Brad Pitt, purchasing a home to add to his sprawling estate included the former owner, now turned extended house guest. The man, John, who sold the home to Pitt, was an elderly person in his nineties. Pitt allowed him to stay in the home—rent-free—until the man died at 105 years old.

If this generous arrangement sounds unusual, it’s worth noting that this wasn’t the only house on Pitt’s estate—it was one of many. The A-lister purchased the 1.9-acre property in 1994 from actor Cassandra Peterson, aka “Elvira” from Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. According to her, there were over 20 homes along the edge of the property, and when one would come up for sale, Pitt would buy it. John’s abode was in that group of houses, although Pitt didn’t make him move.

“He [Pitt] was very, very kind to the husband,” Peterson says. “His wife passed away and the husband, John, lived there. I know that Brad allowed him to live there without paying anything until he died.” While Pitt probably didn’t expect the man to live for as long as he did, it was very kind of the actor to permit someone to live out the rest of their years in a place they were familiar with. And better yet, John didn't have to worry about the financial responsibilities of owning a home, such as paying property taxes.

Pitt recently sold the property, which is in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, for about $40 million.

Brad Pitt bought a house to add to his sprawling estate and let the former owner—an elderly man in his nineties—live rent-free until the neighbor's death at age 105. Here's a peek at Pitt's property, which he recently sold for about $40 million.

h/t: [Reddit]

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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