VOICE OF RANGERS

Beloved anthem singer dies at 83

Amirante, who sang the national anthem at Blueshirts games for over 35 years, dies at 83

FEW were as beloved by Rangers fans as John Amirante, who died early Tuesday at the age of 83, because he was one of them, a Bronx-born Blueshirts supporter who for more than 35 years excited the Garden faithful with his rendition of the national anthem.

He was a constant, a comforting presence, an icon.

“It is with great sadness our Rangers family shares the loss of legendary anthem singer John Amirante, who passed away this morning at 83,” the team wrote on Twitter.

Amirante first sang the anthem at MSG on Nov. 2, 1980 and his final performance was on Feb. 25 this year, the night the Rangers retired Jean Ratelle’s No. 19.

His most memorable performance was one nobody could hear. He sang the Canadian anthem and transitioning to the Star-Spangled Banner on June 14, 1994, before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against Vancouver, 54 years after the team had last won a title. The crowd became so deafening that it drowned out Amirante’s voice.

“I couldn’t hear myself, the Garden was so loud. It was absolutely fantastic,” Amirante told New York Magazine in 2009. “I felt like I was 10 feet off the ice. And I had chills going through my body, and the fans were just screaming and chanting. I loved every minute of it. And to this day, I can remember specifically how it was. It’s a memory I’ll never forget. And then the parade that followed, I was on a float, and the fans were singing the anthem to me as I went up Broadway. It was great.”

Mike Richter remembers that performance well, remembers how much Amirante supported the players and how he brought a smile to everyone.

“John was an incredible guy,” the Rangers’ Cup-winning goaltender said Tuesday. “He was a huge fan but became a friend to everybody who met him, and really was a part of our family. He was always there. He was as much a part of the Garden as any banner or symbol or anything else at MSG for the guys who played there. He was just constantly there; I don’t remember him missing a game when I played.”

Amirante first performed the anthem at a Mets game before getting a run of Rangers and Knicks games and then becoming the regular singer. He also performed at Yankees games in the 1980s.

His workload for the Rangers lessened over the years, and on April 18, 2015, before Game 2 of the first round against Pittsburgh, Amirante was informed that would be his last night as the team’s anthem singer. He told Newsday at the time he was upset at how the situation was handled, and after fans expressed their displeasure Amirante was invited to return sporadically.

He received a raucous ovation when he next performed on May 24, 2015, before Game 5 of the conference final against Tampa Bay.

Fan support was part of his reason for accepting the invitation to keep performing.

“Beautiful singer,” Richter said, “even more beautiful person.”