Noteworthy Deaths

Canadian opera star, called 'God's tenor'

LONDON -- Canada-born opera singer John Vickers, nicknamed "God's tenor" for his inimitable voice and strong Christian beliefs, has died. He was 88.

The Royal Opera House opera, citing a statement from Vickers' family, said he died Friday in the Canadian province of Ontario after a struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in 1926, Vickers sang as a child in church choirs and aspired to study medicine before winning a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Vickers made his Royal Opera debut in 1957. A year later, he performed at Germany's Bayreuth festival, going on to become one of the world's leading performers of Richard Wagner, acclaimed for roles including Siegmund in Die Walkuere.

From 1960, he was a regular at New York's Metropolitan Opera, where his signature roles included Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes.

Vickers stood out among dramatic tenors for the intensity of his performances and his richly powerful voice, described by critic John Ardoin as "holding a hundred colors and inflections."

For three decades, Vickers performed around the world, collecting devoted fans, numerous honorary degrees, companionship in the Order of Canada and two Grammy Awards.

Vickers retired in 1988. His family's statement said he was "a man of the land who was the most at home on his farm, surrounded by nature and his family."

Composer wrote hits for Ross, Houston

LOS ANGELES -- Michael Masser, a songwriter who composed several No. 1 hits in the 1970s and 1980s and who helped ignite the career of singer Whitney Houston by writing and producing some of her most popular songs, died Thursday at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 74.

His death was first reported by The Desert Sun newspaper of Palm Springs, Calif. He had complications from a stroke suffered three years ago.

Masser first found success as a songwriter with "Touch Me in the Morning," which became a No. 1 hit for Diana Ross in 1973.

He was nominated for an Academy Award in 1976 for Ross' "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)," written with lyricist Gerry Goffin, and he later wrote and produced three No. 1 hits for Houston.

In his 20 years as a songwriter, he worked with such well-known performers as George Benson, Natalie Cole, Robert Flack, Peabo Bryson, Gladys Knight, Crystal Gayle and Barbra Streisand. Masser was named to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

He also co-wrote "The Greatest Love of All," first performed by Benson for the 1977 film The Greatest, with Muhammad Ali.

Masser went into the studio with Houston in the mid-1980s. She recorded several of his songs, including "The Greatest Love of All," "Saving All My Love for You" and "Didn't We Almost Have It All."

Michael William Masser was born March 24, 1941, in Chicago.

--The Washington Post

A Section on 07/13/2015

Upcoming Events