Baritone Opera Singer. Born into a musical family, he studied at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany, the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, and the University of Witwatersrand. While he had many opportunities in the business world, as a result of his studies (he worked his way through school as a clerk in a German business in South Africa), he decided to follow his first love, music. He began singing in German opera houses in 1961. From 1964 until his death, he was a lead baritone at the Cologne Opera House, but also made many guest appearances at opera houses around the world and performed at the Salzburg Festival under the direction of von Karajan. His best known role was considered to be Figaro in Rossini’s “Barber of Seville”. He was also known for his love of operettas, and recorded a number of albums in both forms. He met a tragic fate, falling 4 meters to his death from an unsecured balcony set on the stage to the stage floor while performing the operetta “Der Bettelstudent” (The Beggar Student) at the Cologne Opera House. In 2009, a street in Cologne was named for him. (bio by: Kenneth Gilbert)