James King Dies

Opera tenor James King, whose vibrant, powerful voice made him an international favorite during the 1960s and 1970s, died of a heart attack November 20th in Naples, Fla.

King, 80, rose to international fame in 1961 with his performance in Puccini’s “Tosca.”

During his career, the Kansas native was renowned for specializing in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. He logged 113 performances in 30 years at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera.

King went on to teach music and voice at Indiana University from 1984 until 2002.

His final public performance was there in 2000.