Lyric Opera star Johan Botha dies at age 51
Tenor Johan Botha, whose light but muscular voice dazzled audiences at the world's top operatic stages in a wide range of roles, died Thursday in Vienna. He was 51.
Whereas many of his contemporaries focused on a relatively narrow repertoire, the South African felt at home in operas ranging from Puccini to Wagner.
This was reflected in seven starring roles that Botha played at the Lyric Opera of Chicago between 1998 to 2015. These included Canio in Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci" (2002), Calaf in Puccini's "Turandot" (2006), and the title roles of Verdi's "Otello" (2013) and Wagner's "Lohengrin" (2011) and "Tannhäuser" (2015).
Over a nearly 30-year career, Botha also appeared on most of the world's top stages including La Scala, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, New York's Metropolitan Opera and the State Opera in Vienna, where he made his home.
Elisabetta Hartl of Medea Music and Entertainment Group, which worked with Botha, gave no details in announcing his death, but Botha had been suffering from cancer.
Uncommonly versatile, Botha shone in roles ranging from Florestan in Beethoven's "Fidelio" to main figures in works by Verdi, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. His voice was light but powerful, displaying a fluidity that at its best knew few constraints. He was also an accomplished concert singer.
Forced to pause for seven months, Botha celebrated a comeback in June that led to hopes of a recovery, singing one of his signature characters - Siegmund in Wagner's "Die Walkuere" - at the Budapest opera. He last sang three weeks ago at an opera gala in Cape Town in collaboration with the Cancer Association of South Africa.
Friends and colleagues expressed shock at his death.
Vienna State Opera director Dominique Meyer said Botha "left us much too early" and had a black flag of mourning hoisted at the opera house. Tenor Michael Schade called Botha "one of the greatest voices that I ever got to share the stage with." Kasper Holten, director of the Royal Opera in London, said: "So sad to hear of Johan Botha's death," which baritone Thomas Hampson called a "huge loss for the opera world."
Botha is survived by his wife and two sons.
• Scott C. Morgan contributed to this article