Opera singer and Broadway veteran Cesare Siepi died on Monday, July 5 at a hospital in Atlanta, according to published reports. He had reportedly suffered a stroke about ten days prior. He was 87.
Siepi was born in Milan, Italy on February 10, 1923, and made his opera debut in 1941, performing in Rigoletto in Schio. He was a regular performer at La Scala in Milan during the 1940s, and continued his association with the theater throughout his career. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1950, and appeared in hundreds of performances with the company, including his signature roles of Figaro and Don Giovanni in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.
The bass singer made his Broadway debut in 1962 in Bravo Giovanni, a musical by A. J. Russell, Milton Schafer, and Ronny Graham based on The Crime of Giovanni Venturi by Howard Shaw. He also starred in the 1979 Broadway musical Carmelina, featuring lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, music by Burton Lane, and a book by Lerner and Joseph Stein.
Siepi is survived by his wife Louellen, his daughter Luisa, his son Marco, and two grandchildren.
