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Canadian-born dramatic tenor Jon Vickers dies at 88
LONDON, England – The Royal Opera House says Canadian-born opera singer John Vickers, nicknamed “God’s tenor” for his voice and his Christian beliefs, has died. He was 88.
The opera cited a statement from Vickers’ family, which said he died Friday after a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Vickers studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and made his Royal Opera debut in 1957.
A year later, he performed at Germany’s Bayreuth festival, becoming one of the world’s leading Wagnerian performers, acclaimed as Siegmund in “Die Walkuere.”
From 1960, he was a regular at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where his signature roles included the lead in Benjamin Britten’s “Peter Grimes.”
Vickers retired in 1988. He is survived by a sister, five children, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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