Brad Pitt bought Cassandra Peterson’s house in Los Feliz in 1994 for $1.7 million.
Then he started buying the homes around it.
There were 22 houses along the edge of his property. Whenever one went up for sale, Pitt bought it.
One of those homes belonged to a man named John. He was in his early 90s and had stayed there after his wife died.
Pitt bought the house but told John he could stay there for the rest of his life.
He did not have to pay rent. There was no move-out date.
Peterson, who lived nearby for years, believed Pitt thought John would not live much longer.
“I imagine Brad was thinking, well, he can live there till he dies, which might be any minute now.”
John lived until he was 105.
“It was kind of funny,” Peterson said. “He just kept living forever.”
For about 15 years, Pitt built a huge 1.9-acre home around a man who paid nothing and had no plans to leave.
This was also where Pitt and Angelina Jolie raised their six children.
John was still living there for most of those years.
Pitt sold the estate in March 2023 for about $40 million.
