Richard Gere revealed as buyer of Paul Simon’s money-losing estate

“Pretty Woman” actor Richard Gere has been unveiled as the mystery buyer of Paul Simon’s 8,800-square-foot New Canaan, Connecticut, mansion. The 72-year-old was initially unnamed when he snagged the compound for $10.8 million last month. 

Mansion Global first reported that Gere was the formerly unknown new owner of the 32-acre, 84-year-old property. 

Simon, 80, and his wife, 56-year-old singer Edie Brickell, had been attempting to offload the Georgian-style estate since 2019, when they first listed it for $13.9 million. That asking price subsequently dropped to $11.9 million before relisting for $12 million early last year.

When Gere finally took the place off the celebrity couple’s hands in July, it was for roughly $3 million less than what they originally sought — and nearly $6 million below the $16.5 million Simon and Brickell paid for the place in 2002. 

The home had floundered on the market for three years. The Grosby Group/Backgrid Gere paid $10.8 million for the compound. The Grosby Group/Backgrid When Simon and Brickell bought the estate in 2002, they paid $16.5 million. The Grosby Group/Backgrid The property has both a main and guest house. The Grosby Group/Backgrid The home’s pool. The Grosby Group/Backgrid An aerial view of the Connecticut compound. EagleView The main house has six bedrooms. EagleView The address “is just 45 miles from NYC,” according to an old listing. EagleView An aerial shot of the property. EagleView

The sprawling property struggled to sell despite plenty of press and bragging rights. The Grammy Award-winning Simon “recorded many of his hit albums” in the main house, Town & Country reported when it initially hit the market. The main home boasts six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, three powder rooms and multiple fireplaces while a second house, the 2,400-square-foot guest home, is garage-equipped 

​​“A separate three-bedroom cottage offers a quintessential escape to be as creative and self-indulgent or as engaging and social as you wish,” notes an old listing, adding, “This uniquely serene estate has been sensitively maintained to provide the ultimate in peace, privacy, luxury and tranquility and is just 45 miles from NYC.”

The address also features a pond, a terraced pool, walled gardens and a courtyard. 

Representatives for Gere did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment.