Matt Lauer revealed as buyer of Richard Gere's Hamptons compound

Matt Lauer (photo credit: David Shankbone via Wikipedia) and his Hamptons estate

From the New York site: “Today” anchor Matt Lauer has been identified as the mystery buyer of actor Richard Gere's sprawling North Haven compound.

Sources for the New York Post discovered that Lauer was the buyer of the 12-bedroom mansion.

Known as Strongheart Manor, the 6.2-acre North Haven compound hit the market in 2013 asking $65 million. It struggled to find a buyer and underwent several price chops and broker swaps. Its most recent asking price was $36.5 million.

Lauer is selling a Sag Harbor home and another Hamptons cottage, the source told the Post. However, he is holding onto a 40-acre Bright Side Farm in Water Mill.

The sale of Strongheart Manor comes in the midst of a battle over Gere's $250 million estate with his estranged wife Carey Lowell. [NYP] –Christopher Cameron