Posted on 06/28/2007 11:11:38 AM PDT by Borges
Beverly Sills, the opera diva who won over fans worldwide with her sparkling voice and charming personality and became a powerhouse in the New York arts world, is gravely ill with cancer, The Associated Press has learned.
Sills, 78, was chairwoman of the Metropolitan Opera until she resigned two years ago, citing health and family reasons. She remains the Met's chairwoman emerita.
The Met would neither confirm nor deny news of her illness, but people close to her health situation said Sills was at a Manhattan hospital, with her daughter at her side.
In an e-mail this week to members of its board, the Met said Sills was "gravely ill." One person said she was suffering from lung cancer. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to announce news of her health.
In 1974, Sills underwent successful cancer surgery and went on to make her Met singing debut the following year.
Born in Brooklyn, the coloratura soprano made her opera debut in 1947 in Philadelphia in a bit role in "Carmen." She became a star with the smaller New York City Opera, where she first performed in 1955 in Johann Strauss Jr.'s "Die Fledermaus." She was acclaimed for performances in such operas as Douglas Moore's "The Ballad of Baby Doe," Massenet's "Manon" and Handel's "Guilio Cesare."
Beyond the music world, Sills gained fans worldwide with a personality that matched her childhood nickname _ Bubbles. The relaxed, red-haired diva appeared frequently on "The Tonight Show," "The Muppet Show" and singing with her friend Carol Burnett. As recently as last season, she hosted some of the Met's new high definition theater broadcasts.
Sills retired from the stage in 1980 at 51 and began a career leading New York's performing arts community as general director of the New York City Opera. She became chairwoman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1994 and the Met's chairwoman in 2002.
PING
Oh, my! Prayers sent.
“Bubbles” was wonderful. I heard her sing many times at the Met..
Prayers to Beverly and her family.
Prayers going up.
Prayers for Beverly
She has given great beauty to the world. Prayers for her and her family.
Dear Borges,
Thanks for the ping.
Classical Music Ping List ping.
If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.
Thanks,
sitetest
Sorry to hear this.
thanks for the ping, sitetest
Prayers to the family.
She brought much beauty into the world.
God be with her.
I'm blessed with a classical music TV station here in my area in Florida. I see almost continual videos about 5 minutes long, or sometimes longer. Some are old with clips of Caruso, Callas, Bjorling and countless other oldie opera greats.
I see the great ballet dancers of old, silent movie clips, jass greats and musical comedy stars of yore.....plus early cartoons, film clips from German and Russian movies of the twenties and earlier......what a boon for this lover of all things classical and experimental by past artists who were stars and innovators in many artistic venues.
Videos from Beverly's operettas are played periodically on this cable station (never a commercial)....I particularly enjoy her roles in schmalzy Viennese-type operettas....she was perfect for these parts.
I will miss you, Madame Sills.
Leni
Prayers up!!
Oh, my.......sorrow all around. Such a talent.
An old girlfriend of mine worked for the NYC Opera for a while back in the 70’s, knew Ms.Sills and had nothing but nice to say about her.
I’m an opera fan because of her.
Sills is an American original.
Unlike many American singers who had to go to Europe to get recognized, Sills made her career in the United States, and then went onto opera superstardom around the world.
I had a little hand in contributing to a wonderful Sills tribute website:
http://www.beverlysillsonline.com/
There a many many vocal selections of Sills in her most famous roles.
If you never had the pleasure of hearing her thrilling beautiful voice, go there and get lost in the magic.
Prayers for Miss Sills and her two children.
Thank you very much for the link. The technical quality of many of these live recordings is quite poor, but her vocal magnificence transcends all else.
Not only that, she was not an “arrogant diva”. By all accounts, she was genuinely a kind, loving person to all.
Thanks so much for the web link. I remember hearing her on TV when I was just a child and enjoying even then her great voice and personality.
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