Opera Singer and Theater Veteran Peter Hofmann Dies at 66

Opera singer and theater veteran Peter Hofmann died of pneumonia on Tuesday, November 30 in a hospital in Bavaria, according to The New York Times. He was 66.

The Czech-born Hofmann began his career as a rock singer, but is perhaps best known as an opera heldentenor, with regular appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, the Bayreuth Festival, Covent Garden, the San Francisco Opera, and numerous other international opera stages. In addition to his singing voice, he was also renowned for his handsome and heroic appearance.

He played the title role in a German production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in Hamburg in the early 1990s. He was also a pop singer, and is featured on numerous recordings of opera, rock, and pop songs.

Hofmann retired in 1999, after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his wife, his three children, and his brother.