GRAMMY-WINNING OPERA LEGEND JESSYE NORMAN DIES AT THE AGE OF 74
NEWYORK: Superstar singer Jessye Norman, an American soprano who showcased her majestic yet intimate voice at opera houses and orchestras around the world, has died, her family said. She was 74 years old.
One of the contemporary era’s most revered opera singers, the Grammy-winner died “surrounded by loved ones” at a New York hospital due to septic shock and multi-organ failure, the result of complications from a spinal cord injury sustained in 2015. “We are so proud of Jessye’s musical achievements and the inspiration that she provided to audiences around the world that will continue to be a source of joy,” said her family.
Born September 15, 1945 in Augusta, Georgia, Norman grew up surrounded by music as one of five children in a family of amateur artists.
She made a foray into gospel at age four, and as a young girl began listening to radio broadcasts of performances at the Metropolitan Opera, where she would go on to star.
A pioneering young black woman in the white world of classical music, Norman quickly became beloved for her soaring voice and effervescent personality. She became the youngest person in a two-decade history to earn a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor at age 52 in 1997, and president Barack Obama bestowed her with a National Medal of Arts.
The superstar singer was also a Commander in France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and has an orchid named after her there.